Down to One
by NotasboredasIlook
Summary: Her heart was a traitor. Sequel to "Her Dark Life"
1. Chapter 1

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was a traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendevous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 1**

_"My heart is a traitor, it led me down this road."_ – _Melissa Etheridge, Down to One_

Water lapped lazily against the large boat as the sun began to rise over the Atlantic, casting shimmers of gold ribbons over the blue-green ripples of the ocean.

Horatio stood at the bow, leaning on the railing as he gazed up at the cloudless sky wondering what promises the new day held. In a gray T-shirt and faded jeans, he inhaled the salty, ocean air. The hour was early; Kyle, Ray Jr. and Frank were all still asleep, but with coffee in-hand, Horatio opted to greet the morning one-on-one.

The trip had been a simple joy, but a much needed one for each of the men on the boat. Horatio sipped his hot, strong coffee and thought about the way Kyle and Ray Jr. had become closer in the few short days they had been at sea. The two young men had much in common and - over fishing reels and bait - had begun to forge something akin to a brotherly bond. They were already making plans to go camping and hit some ball games over the summer.

He was grateful his son and nephew were getting along so well. Kyle had been alone for so much of his life and the last few years had been very hard for Ray. Both of the young men had had a tremendous impact on Horatio's life and he felt blessed for their existences in it. He held tight to what little family he had left. Family, after all, was the most important thing.

Horatio smiled at the thought and made a mental note to call Suzy in the next couple of days to check on her and Madison. She had moved to St. Augustine three years ago, but regularly made trips to Miami; not just for work, but to bring Horatio's niece for a visit. The last time he had seen them, he had marveled at how much Madison resembled his mother: They had the same color hair, same delicate features and the same soft smile.

"_Mom would have loved her grandchildren,"_ he thought sadly to himself as he stared at the water.

A warm spring breeze tousled his bright red hair, and, for a moment, Horatio considered that it was his mother's spirit reassuring him. He sighed slightly and relaxed into nature's caress. He knew that soon his reprieve into simplicity would be over and he would be back on land.

And back to work.

The group had been at sea for four days, doing nothing but fishing, talking and relaxing on the yacht Horatio had rented. They were due back later that day where Yelina would meet them at the pier to pick up Ray Jr.

Horatio tapped the side of his mug with his fingers, regretting that the trip had gone by so quickly. He felt like he never quite got enough time with his son, nor with his teenage nephew. Kyle was already a young man when Horatio met him for the first time, but somehow, Ray Jr. had grown up when he wasn't watching. He remembered the pride in Ray's voice on the day he held his infant son. He remembered the home video Yelina made him watch when her baby had taken his first steps. He remembered the way the child clung to him sobbing at Ray's bogus funeral. He remembered stepping in to guide the boy when his father was no longer there.

What he couldn't remember is when the boy had become a young man.

More than that, he mourned the loss of all of Kyle's early milestones and he wondered if anyone ever celebrated his son's life the way Ray Jr.'s had been celebrated. His own flesh and blood had been out there for 16 years, and Horatio had never known. Things would have been very different if he had.

"_We can't change what is past,"_ he thought, raising his face to the sun and embracing its warmth.

When he looked back down at the water, Horatio saw the reflection of a middle-aged man wearing guilt with the same ease that he wore his sunglasses. Taking a deep breath, he wondered if he would ever be able to make up that lost time to either of the boys.

After all, time kept moving even when he wasn't ready to.

"Dad?"

Horatio turned at the sound of his son's puzzled voice and smiled as Kyle approached him at the rail. The sleepy young man yawned and stretched, squinting against the bright sunlight.

When they had first met, Kyle was lanky and awkward, but two years made a world of difference and Horatio noticed his son walked with more calm and confidence. Outwardly, Kyle had his father's piercing blue eyes and demeanor, but had his mother's coloring and facial features. He had a good heart, but a quick temper.

He also never talked about his mother anymore. Horatio looked back out over the water as Julia drifted into his thoughts.

It had been two weeks since he had been called to Glendale Springs. He still hadn't told Kyle about it. Rationally, he knew his son had the right to know about his mother's mental condition, but Horatio wasn't ready to tell him yet. The boy was almost finished with his first year of college and should be focused on his classes instead of family issues he ultimately had no control over. Plus, for the first time in a long while, they were both relaxed and just enjoying the most traditional of father-son rites.

It wasn't the right time to bring up such emotional news to Kyle. But …

_"When is the right time for something like this?" _Horatio thought as he looked back at his son.

As if reading his mind, Kyle reached over and took his father's mug from his hand. Grinning, he took a large gulp of coffee then grimaced as he swallowed.

"Ugh, that is way too strong, Dad," he said, making a face that earned a chuckle from Horatio. "That stuff would strip paint."

"Ah, but it keeps me sharp, son," Horatio retorted.

"It's too early for anyone to be sharp. It's barely six o'clock," Kyle said scratching his head. "What are you doin' up so early?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking."

Mimicking his father's stance, Kyle rested his arms on the railing and leaned against it, looking out over the ocean. "About what?"

"What we're going to tell people when we come back empty-handed after four days of fishing," Horatio said as he looked over his sunglasses at his son. "We'll never live it down."

"Hey, I hooked that marlin, it isn't my fault the line broke," Kyle responded with a smirk as he slapped Horatio on the back.

"This is true."

The two stood in silence, listening to the soft sounds of the waves and watching the rising sun. Kyle's mere presence seemed to give Horatio a strength he didn't know he had before he found out he was a father. He drew on that strength and took a deep breath. If he didn't do this now, he doubted he would ever be able to.

"Son, there is something I need to tell you," Horatio said hesitantly, "about your mother."

Kyle shifted his gaze from the ocean to his father, and Horatio saw the hardening in his eyes. The young man frowned and then shook his head.

"Whatever it is, I don't want to know," he replied sharply.

"Kyle …"

Kyle stood up straight and pushed back from the rail. He looked at Horatio with a coldness that was all-too familiar to him.

"I told you, I don't want to know."

Horatio stood as well and looked down at his feet. "Kyle, she is your mother and no matter what problems she may have, she loves you."

"Yeah, she loved me so much she put a gun on me," Kyle spat. "What kind of love is that?"

Horatio looked up into his son's angry eyes and remembered the day Julia had taken his staff hostage while demanding that Kyle go with her before turning the gun on herself. He had been there just in time to stop her from pulling the trigger.

He had been terrified, but wouldn't allow himself to show it. He had held his calm façade for hours until he had gotten home later that night. He simply walked through the door of his home, sat down on the couch, buried his head in his hands and cried in frustration, anger and fear.

"She's ill, Kyle," he said gently. It was the thing same he had had to tell himself in order to keep it together. "She wasn't in her right mind when she came to the morgue that day. She would never intentionally do anything to hurt you."

Kyle folded his arms and tilted his head to the side. "But that's the rub, isn't it? Because she's a whack-job, it's okay for her to mess with other people's lives. She can't be held responsible for the havoc she wreaks. She's destructive, Dad. People got hurt because of her."

Approaching his son slowly, Horatio put his hand in Kyle's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. Still holding eye contact, Horatio spoke low: "Your mother has a serious mental illness, Kyle. She is not a whack-job, and you should never refer to her that way. You are better than that."

Kyle looked away and sighed. "I can't deal with it right now, okay?" He said softly, the fiery anger now gone. "I'm not ready and honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be."

Horatio nodded. "Okay, we'll let it go … for now," he said sternly. "But at some point, we are going to have a very serious discussion concerning your mother."

"Okay, Dad."

Giving Kyle's shoulder another squeeze, Horatio released his arm. "Good man," he said with a small smile.

Kyle nodded and looked out at the ocean. He was quiet for a few minutes before he looked at his father again. "What time do you think we'll get back in?"

Horatio shrugged. "Well, I told Yelina to meet us at the pier around 3 p.m., so we've got a couple of hours before we have to head back. Why?"

A blush crept up Kyle's face and he looked down. "I, um, sort of have plans tonight with Cassie."

The mention of Kyle's new girlfriend made Horatio's eyebrows rise. While he and his son hadn't specifically made plans for that evening, he had thought they would have dinner or something.

"Ah, Cassie," Horatio grinned. "Am I ever going to meet this young lady?"

"Maybe," Kyle laughed. "But not tonight. I'm taking her to Zobu for our five-month anniversary."

"Five months," Horatio teased. "Sounds like it's getting serious, son."

"We'll see," he retorted. "She's a great girl. I really like her."

Horatio nodded and leaned against the railing again. He could relate to his son's feelings. His thoughts strayed back to CSI. Specifically, to the ballistics lab …

"That's okay, Kyle," Horatio said whimsically. "I, uh, actually owe someone dinner myself."

Kyle looked surprised, but he smiled broadly, his blue yes sparkling with mischief. "Oh yeah? Who?"

In the back of the boat, Horatio saw Frank moving around the cabin and assumed Ray Jr. would be awake as well. Wanting to make the most of what little vacation time they had left, he tossed the remainder of his coffee off the side of the boat, and patted his son on the back.

"None of your business … yet," he smirked. "Now, let's get some breakfast and see if we can't catch something worth bragging about."

* * *

Disappointment was a part of life, this fact Calleigh Duquesne knew far too well.

Her first real – and most memorable – experience came when she was very young. She had been so excited for her seventh birthday party. Her mother had hired a magician. Her father had arranged for pony rides. There were balloons, a huge cake with pink and white frosting and a bowl of punch the size of a swimming pool. The event was catered, lights were strung from the house to the farthest end of her family's property. Her brothers even agreed to be on their best behavior.

The day of the party, Calleigh couldn't wait for her guests to arrive. Dressed in what she considered her prettiest dress – a frilly little yellow dress with white tulle and little blue flowers on the skirting – she sat on the stairs in front of the door, waiting for the doorbell to ring.

Thirty minutes after the party was supposed to have started, Calleigh opened the door and checked to see if anyone was pulling into the driveway. An hour later, she started to cry softly as the pony was packed up and hauled away. After two guestless hours, the magician left, her parents started drinking and Calleigh went up to her room, took her dress off, turned off the lights and went to bed. Later that night, she would overhear her parents drunkenly argue about who was supposed to have sent out the invitations for the party.

In time, she came to accept that it was an accident that was the result of miscommunication, and that her parents had had the best of intentions.

It still didn't make it hurt any less.

"_The road to hell is paved with good intentions,"_ she thought as she listlessly tapped her fingers.

She stared at the desk in front of her, trying to analyze the photos, the ballistics and the trace evidence taken from a shooting the day before. On the outside, the case appeared to be cut-and-dry: After years of physical and emotional abuse, a housewife had finally been pushed too far and emptied the magazine of her husband's Sig Sauer P225 into him while he slept.

The catch was her husband had been M.D.P.D.: Sgt. Dean Landon.

When Calleigh and Walter had arrived at the scene, she had seen Gwen Landon's bruised face and inwardly cringed. Walter told her later that Gwen had been to the emergency room twenty times in the last year alone with multiple fractures and broken bones. Each time, she had turned away help from the medical staff and counselors. Gwen would never admit that her husband was beating her.

But she would ultimately confess to killing him.

Calleigh sighed as she looked at the autopsy photos. Landon had been well known and highly respected. He had more commendations in his file than Calleigh had guns in the vault. More than that, he had always been very nice and outgoing. She was still having a hard time believing he was capable of such violence against his wife.

"Everyone has a dark side. It makes sense Gwen wouldn't tell the cops about her problem," Calleigh muttered softly with a frown as she stared at the autopsy pictures. "What choice do you have when you have nowhere to go and no one to trust?"

She couldn't help but feel disappointment for the Landons: She was disappointed in Dean for his cruelty and she was disappointed that Gwen felt she had no other means of escape other than to murder her husband.

She rubbed her face and checked her watch: **3:26 p.m. **She had been standing, staring at the evidence for precisely five hours and twenty minutes without so much as a bathroom or lunch break. At one point, she had considered getting some coffee and fresh air, but opted against it, not wanting to break her concentration.

There was something she was missing … she could _feel_ it.

She picked up one photo, only to slam it down and grab another one. Each one she examined revealed nothing new to her. Finally, she shook her head and began placing the items back into evidence envelope. After re-taping and marking each one, she boxed everything back up and took it to the evidence locker.

Ten minutes later, she sat on the stairs outside the back of the building. A warm breeze blew through her blonde hair and she closed her eyes, wanting to relax into it, fatigue starting to get the best of her. She leaned her head against the rail and allowed herself to drift.

Despite her resolution not to think about him, she found herself wondering what Horatio was doing. She knew today was the last day of his vacation and she genuinely hoped he was enjoying his time with Kyle and Ray Jr.

Rather than wallow in the disappointment she felt after Horatio cancelled their date and left town on whatever "matter" he had to attend to, Calleigh threw herself body and soul into work. He returned a couple of days later - again apologizing for canceling dinner - wrapped up the mall murder, and then left again.

In all of that, however, he never mentioned rescheduling dinner. Calleigh regretted that she had expected him to.

The fact was she had been confused about what had actually transpired that day at the mall murder scene between she and Horatio. At the time, it seemed like something _fundamental_ had changed between them, and she was sure he felt the same electricity in her touch as she had in his.

Then he had asked her to dinner … only to cancel at the last minute.

At first, she was disappointed. Then she was confused. Now, she was convinced that she had misinterpreted what had actually happened that day. Other than make dinner plans with her, he never gave any verbal indication of an attraction. Prior to that, he had been making more of an effort to work with her and check on her well-being. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that was just who Horatio was: The protector. He was always concerned about his people, and she had hit a rough patch in her life. It made sense that he was just making sure she was okay. Logically, this situation was no different than the countless other times she had watched him help his friends and staff.

And Calleigh was nothing if not logical. Her head told her she had simply misread Horatio's good intentions.

She also decided that she needed to stop listening to her heart. It was the best way to save her from disappointment.

Calleigh opened her eyes when her stomach growled. Skipping lunch hadn't been the best plan. She stood and went back into the building.

_"A granola bar is better than nothing,"_ she thought, considering her snack options.

As she walked toward the breakroom, her phone trilled at her hip. Rolling her eyes and seeing her snack break slip away, she unclipped it, expecting to see a call out on the digital display.

Instead, it read: **HORATIO**.

In spite of her previous resolution, her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped. Shaking her head, she quickly pushed down the feeling, realizing that after a week of being away, he probably wanted to be sure she hadn't burned down the lab.

_"Don't look for what is not there, Calleigh," _she told herself as she hit the "talk" button and raised the phone to her ear.

"Duquesne."

"That is music to my ears."

His voice was light but smooth and Calleigh found she had to keep herself from having a physiological reaction to it.

"How was your trip?" she asked as she entered the empty breakroom and sat down.

"Short, but effective," he replied evenly. "How is everything there?"

"I promise you that the lab is still standing, though we haven't be able to find Ryan for a few days," Calleigh joked. "We think Walter may have stuffed him in a locker but there is no evidence to support that. Jesse is considering filing a missing persons report, but Natalia says no one really misses him."

Horatio's chuckle was deep and throaty and Calleigh suddenly felt warm. Leaning back in her chair, she tapped her fingers against the armrest.

"Seriously though, I'm working on a shooting," she said. "Sgt. Dean Landon's wife shot him in his sleep. It's got a lot of people on edge. Gwen says he had used her as his own personal punching bag for a long time."

Horatio was quiet for a minute and Calleigh wondered if she just ruined his vacation.

"I knew Dean," he murmured. "What does the evidence say?"

Calleigh exhaled. "The evidence corroborates her story."

"Hmmm."

Rubbing her eyes, Calleigh sat up and rested her elbows on her knees. The Landon case had worn her out and she needed a diversion.

"So … did you guys catch anything good?"

After a few seconds of silence, Horatio spoke: "Would you believe me if I said we hooked Jaws?"

Calleigh smiled. "I can see Frank taking on a Great White. The rest of you guys, not so much. No offense."

"You give Texas too much credit, Calleigh."

"Sorry, Chief Brody but I don't buy it."

Horatio laughed out loud that time and Calleigh was surprised by it. He had chuckled before, but it had been years since she had heard him honestly laugh at something she said.

She had to admit it made her feel good. But it was short-lived.

_"Dangerous waters, Calleigh,"_ she thought as she chewed on her lip.

Horatio, however, could not see her sudden apprehension.

"I'm, um, still sorry about breaking our previous plans and was wondering if I could make good on that raincheck for dinner … tonight?" He asked, his voice low but sincere.

Calleigh felt her face flush and she looked down. Her mind screamed "No" but her heart refused to be ignored. She cursed her resolve for faltering so easily at the mere sound of his voice.

"Um …"

"I've missed you, Calleigh."

She paused. She had no doubt his words were heartfelt, and the sultry tone of his voice was too much for her to ignore. Though she was sure she would regret it later, Calleigh let go of her hesitation.

"Okay," she said softly, reminding herself that it was just dinner.

Horatio paused again and Calleigh wondered if he heard her. "Good, it's a date," he said happily. "I'll pick you up at seven."

"Alright," she replied, his use of the word "date" throwing her off-kilter. "See you then."

As she hung up the phone, Calleigh closed her eyes and prayed Horatio wouldn't disappoint her again.

* * *

**A/N Here's my second DuCaine installment. What you ya'll think? I heart reviews. They motivate me.**

**I won't give away too much, but I will say this one will have more, actual romance in it than "Dark Life." :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendevous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 2**

Horatio smiled as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, then knelt down to grab the last of his bags off the dock. Heaving a bulky duffel onto his shoulder, he walked to the end of the pier where Kyle stood talking with Frank, Ray Jr. and Yelina. The memory of his son's spoken animosity toward Julia was still fresh in his mind, but he would honor Kyle's request for space on the issue … for now.

Yelina turned as he approached and smiled, the wind blowing strands of her rich chocolate hair into her face and whipping her pale yellow sundress around her shapely legs. To her right, Ray Jr. stood laughing with Kyle about his mishap with the marlin from the day before. Even Frank was chuckling and looked at complete ease in a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts.

"_Family …"_ Horatio thought as he stopped at the left side of Yelina and dropped the remainder of the bags with a slight grunt.

"Need some help with those, Dad," Kyle asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, H," Frank joined in. "We don't want to be straining yourself at your age."

Grinning, Horatio looked down and nodded. "You guys are hilarious."

Yelina laughed out loud at the exchange and wrapped her arm around Horatio's, leaning into him tightly. "Don't worry about it Horatio," she chuckled, "men improve with age. Our boys will come to learn this someday. Frank, however, may be the exception to the rule."

The group laughed again as Kyle and Ray retrieved the bags and began to walk to their respective cars. Frank picked his bag up as well and held his hand out to Horatio.

"Thanks for the invite, H," his Texas drawl thick with gratitude. "First vacation I've had in a long while. I 'preciate it."

Horatio nodded, but it was then that he noticed Yelina still hadn't relinquished his arm. Glancing at her, he found that she was watching the boys contentedly and wasn't paying attention. Opting to avoid being rude to his sister-in-law or his friend, Horatio merely smiled and used his free hand to give Frank a hearty pat on the arm.

"I'm glad you had a good time," he said warmly. "Next time, we'll actually catch something."

Frank guffawed, the sound snapping Yelina's attention back to her surroundings. She looked at her arm still wrapped around Horatio's and slowly slid her body away from his.

Watching her movements from behind his sunglasses, Horatio saw her blush slightly and look away. The warm Miami breeze picked up the jasmine scent of her perfume, filling his nostrils with the familiar aroma. The smell assaulted his memory and took him back 17 years earlier …

_"I'm so pleased to finally meet you," Yelina's eyes glittered with sincerity as she reached out to shake Horatio's hand. "Raymond has told me so much, I feel like I've known you for years. I'm happy to be able to put a face to a name."_

_Horatio mock-glared at Raymond, who stood sipping his beer with a bemused expression, his arm around Yelina's shoulders. Horatio knew he would be meeting Raymond's fiancée for the first time that night, but what he hadn't been prepared for was her exotic beauty and overpowering sensuality. The moment they had been introduced, he felt regret and guilt: Regret for not having met her first and guilt for feeling that way. His brother was in love. Given the tumultuous lives the Caine brothers had had, he would never begrudge Raymond his happiness._

_Still, he couldn't help but feel some jealousy: Yelina was clearly a very special – and very beautiful – woman._

_Turning his face back toward his soon-to-be sister-in-law, he gave her a small smile and tried desperately to ignore the effect her perfume was having on him._

"_Well, I can assure you that only half of what Raymond has told you is true," he said as he took her hand and gave it a squeeze, marveling in the softness of her skin._

"Earth to H."

The humor in Frank's voice brought Horatio back to the present and he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Sorry about that, Frank," he said, hoping Yelina hadn't noticed him zone out. "I guess my mind is still out at sea."

The big detective looked from Yelina to Horatio and back again. He smiled crookedly and turned, walking toward his car.

"Not a problem," he said over his shoulder. "See ya at the office."

The two watched silently as Frank departed. Though they said nothing, the silence was comfortable, cultivated after years of working together both on and off the job. Yelina knew him as well as anyone did. Most of the time, she was able to get a good read on him, even when he didn't want her too. Sometimes, it was unnerving. Other times, he was grateful that she cared enough about him to maintain that kind of insight.

As Frank stopped and said goodbye to Ray Jr. and Kyle, Yelina sighed softly. Horatio took off his sunglasses and looked at her.

"Penny for your thoughts."

She smiled and folded her arms across her chest, nodding toward her son.

"This was good for Ray, he needed this," she said as she turned to face Horatio. "We've missed you, you know? The last few years have been very hard for him, especially after his father ... now my little boy is becoming a man …"

She paused and swallowed hard. Horatio's heart tore as he saw tears well in her dark eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away and took a shaky breath.

"Well, I'm just grateful he has you to help him learn how to be one."

Horatio blushed slightly and looked down. "I know I haven't been around much lately, but I hope Ray knows I'll always be there for him."

Reaching out, Yelina took Horatio's hand in hers, caressing his knuckles with her thumb.

"He knows," she said, tilting her head down so he would look at her. "And now he has Kyle, as well. He … WE … are both very blessed to have such a wonderful family."

Horatio looked up and smiled at her, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "So are we, Yelina. So are we."

At that moment, the breeze picked up again, covering them. Yelina reached up with her free hand and softly cupped Horatio's cheek.

"Horatio …" she whispered.

* * *

"Whoa, check this out."

Kyle slapped Ray Jr. on the back and motioned toward the pier where their parents were standing. Frank too, stopped as he opened his car door. The three watched as Yelina leaned in close toward Horatio …

Ray Jr. grimaced and looked at Kyle.

"Gross dude, did our parents just kiss?"

Running his hand over his face, Kyle wondered if he really saw what he thought he saw.

"I can't be sure from here," he groaned, " but I think so, man."

* * *

By six o'clock, Calleigh had had enough. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something _vital_ in the Landon case, but no matter which way she looked at it, the evidence was all saying the same thing:

Gwen Landon killed her husband. Even without the evidence, Gwen had signed a full confession. She admitted to shooting her husband multiple times while she slept.

Sighing, Calleigh climbed into her car and started the engine. Rolling the windows down, she slid a pair of black Calvin Klein sunglasses on and pulled out of her stall in the parking garage.

As she drove home, she considered that maybe there was truly nothing more to the case. Perhaps she was trying to keep her focus on Gwen Landon so that she wouldn't have to think about … other things … other people …

One person in particular …

Rubbing her forehead, she stopped at a traffic light and looked at her watch. She had less than an hour to get home, take a shower and get dressed for dinner.

_"It's a date."_

While the logical part of her was trying to maintain the notion that this was just dinner, Horatio himself had called it "a date." What Calleigh was struggling with was whether this was a "date" or a "DATE."

"Oh my God, you are nuts," she mumbled to herself as she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. "And now you are talking to yourself in the second person … fantastic."

An early evening breeze swept through the open windows of her car and she tried to relax into it as she drove toward her home. Traffic was surprisingly light and her commute went more smoothly than she had anticipated. Despite this, by the time she pulled in front of her building, she realized she only had roughly a half-an-hour to get ready.

Grumbling, she ignored her mailbox and went straight to her apartment. Once inside, she tossed her purse onto the couch and headed for her bathroom. Starting up her shower, she undressed quickly and tossed her clothes into the laundry hamper. Grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste, she stepped under the shower's warm water. It then occurred to her that she had no idea where they were going for dinner, therefore she had no idea what to wear.

While lathering her hair, she did a mental inventory of her closet. She considered the blouse and skirt she had originally picked out for the first dinner date, but then she wondered if wearing an outfit that you had been ditched in was bad karma.

_"Ditched …"_

Something uneasy tugged at the back of her mind as she considered this, but her haste didn't allow her to focus on it long. Rinsing her hair under the shower's stream, she brushed her teeth at the same time. When she considered her teeth and hair to be satisfactorily clean, she turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her slender, yet curvy form. Grabbing another towel, she patted her hair dry and glanced at the nearby clock: **6:44 p.m.**

She paused as her stomach fluttered and her body flushed with warmth and nervous tension.

"_Oh for pete's sake, stop acting like you're in high school,"_ she berated herself. Grinding her teeth, she grabbed a comb and headed into her bedroom. Pulling the comb through her wet locks, she opened her closet, her eyes scanning the possible wardrobe selections.

"_Too dressy … too casual … too slutty ..." _she groaned and rolled her eyes as she flipped through hanging garments. _"Why am I obsessing about this?"_

Her forced apathy went flying out the window when she came across THE dress: The sapphire blue pique dress that she had bought on a whim a few months ago while shopping with Natalia. The jewel-tone of the dress made it appropriate for dressier occasions while the cut allowed for more casual wear.

Calleigh had loved it the moment she saw it.

"_You just need the right shoes,"_ Natalia had told her at the time. _"This is the best kind of dress … it's multipurpose, it shows off your figure and it will knock the socks off of any guy who sees it on you. That is always money well spent."_

Though Calleigh still wasn't sure how she felt about this "date," a slow smile crawled across her face. Suddenly, the idea of putting Natalia's theory to the test seemed irresistible.

* * *

Horatio sat in his car outside the apartment building, staring up at the high-rise. Somewhere inside, Calleigh was most likely waiting for him. He looked at his watch: **6:58 p.m.**

Taking a deep breath, he was surprised at the nervous anxiety he felt as he stepped out of his car. But then, much had happened in a few short hours …

What had started out as a simple day had quickly become complicated. There was a lot he had to think about. But it would have to wait. Calleigh deserved his focus.

Walking into her building, he rounded the corner to the elevators and punched the "UP" button. He smiled slightly at the memory of the last time he had been there; the way he had held her sleeping body in his arms; the feel of her head resting against his chest.

But the smile quickly turned into a frown as the events of what had happened later that night resurfaced as well.

_"We've both been ditched by a Delko."_

Closing his eyes, he forced the memory and the bitterness that accompanied it away. He had come to terms with what had happened that night. He also knew that Calleigh couldn't be held responsible for her words or actions. There was no use dwelling on it.

The elevator doors opened with a "ding," causing Horatio to open his eyes. Stepping into the box, he pushed the button for Calleigh's floor. He watched the floor numbers light as the elevator carried him closer to his dinner companion.

"_No, she's more than that,"_ he thought to himself as he looked at the ground. _"She's much more than that. How much more, however, is something I need to figure out."_

As if to answer him, the elevator came to a stop and opened. Stepping out, Horatio walked down the hall to Calleigh's door. He paused for a moment and looked at his feet. In a few seconds, he would be on a _date _… with _Calleigh_. Swallowing hard, he didn't know why the idea of such a thing suddenly seemed unfathomable.

He couldn't NOT acknowledge that _something_ had passed between them the day of the mall murder investigation, but now he found himself questioning how _real _it was. If he had misinterpreted those feelings in any way, he would be risking the friendship of one of the most important people in his life.

"_Is that a risk I am willing to take?"_ he asked himself as he looked back down the hall. For a split-second, he considered getting back on the elevator.

Looking back at Calleigh's door, Horatio exhaled and made his decision.

* * *

She had just fastened the last bobby pin in her hair, securing it back in a French twist, when she heard the knock on the door. Checking herself one last time in the mirror, Calleigh smoothed her hands over her blue dress and sleek hair and took a deep breath.

"Just a second," she called out as she walked through her living room and stopped at the door.

"_Now or never, Calleigh,"_ she told herself as she turned the doorknob slowly, revealing Horatio to her in a way that reminded her of a very specific dream ...

* * *

"Hello, handsome."

Horatio looked up when Calleigh spoke and then felt his world tilt on its axis.

As his eyes traveled over the beautiful woman in front of him, he decided that some risks were _definitely_ worth taking.

* * *

***dramatic chipmunk music here***

**So, Yelina and H? Did they or didn't they? (Don't hate on me yet ... I promise to make it worth your while).**

**I love feedback so lay it on me. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 3**

"This may sound terrible, but I never knew you had a CAR car."

Calleigh leaned back in the passenger seat of the black Lexus and traced the edge of the open window with her finger. Next to her in the driver's seat, Horatio smiled as he pulled to a stop at a red light.

"Well, the higher-ups tend to frown upon personal use of the county vehicles," he said lightly. "I admit I typically drive the Hummer, it saves travel time on a call out, but as I am still on vacation …"

"Like that would stop you," Calleigh grinned. "Workaholic."

Horatio chuckled at her ribbing. "Yeah, well, we can smell our own can't we?"

"Absolutely, but not tonight," Calleigh responded as she closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the soft vibration of the car. "I would love not to think about work for a few hours."

"How about we make that the rule for this evening then … no shop talk."

"Yeah, like that will happen. You couldn't not talk about work for a whole evening if you tried."

Horatio smirked and glanced sideways at her. "Is that a challenge?"

Calleigh felt his eyes on her, though her own eyes remained closed. She was fighting to keep from wholly indulging in his presence, but was finding that her efforts were in vain. The smoky lull of his voice alone was having a tremendous effect on her. Though she wanted to deny it, she couldn't help but release herself bit by bit to the magnetic pull that seemed to be between them.

Hours ago she was certain she had mistaken Horatio's intentions for something more than friendship. But ever since she opened the door to him earlier, she had the overwhelming feeling that she was being seduced.

And God help her, she was enjoying it … immensely.

"How about a friendly wager?" she said, a hint of daring in her voice.

Horatio was silent, and Calleigh opened her eyes to find him looking at the road, an unreadable expression on his face.

"A wager sounds intriguing," he finally replied. "What are the stakes?"

"Let's see," Calleigh tapped her finger against her cheek in mock seriousness, causing Horatio to laugh lightly again. "It's gotta be something good …"

"Oh, I would agree."

"Ah," Calleigh said dramatically with a snap of her fingers. "I've got it. If I win, you have to help me with the next round of inventory in the gun vault. Bailey gets distracted too easily, so it ends up taking hours longer than it needs to."

Horatio nodded, thinking that hours spent alone with Calleigh in the gun vault would be a distraction for any man.

"And what if I win?"

Calleigh bit her lip and leaned her head back on the headrest. Tilting her head down, she looked up at him through long, dark eyelashes.

"What do you want?" she asked coyly.

Horatio turned and gave her a sultry look. "That, sweetheart, … is a very loaded question."

Calleigh felt her body flood with warmth and she had a hard time maintaining eye contact with him and she squirmed internally under his gaze. Fortunately, Horatio didn't let her suffer long and returned his eyes to the road.

"How about this," he said. "If I win, you have to help me with next year's budget."

Surprised that he would go for something so mundane, Calleigh laughed out loud. "The budget? Really?"

Horatio shrugged. "Yes. It's due next month and it is a very tedious process. I hate doing it. Going through this year's statements and expenditures. Cost-cutting. Besides, you have a background in physics. Maybe you can help me make better sense of some of it."

"Sounds thrilling," she joked in return. "Okay, you're on."

"Excellent."

The warm early evening air filled the car as they drove down the busy Miami streets. Spring fever had taken its hold on the city and it's people. Though it always felt like summer, there was an inherent renewal that came with spring. Everything seemed new, alive, vigorous …

Spring was always full of possibilities.

Calleigh inhaled deep and took in the beautiful dusk hues of the sky, painting the city in vibrant orange, lush red and deep purple. Young people walked happily on the downtown sidewalks, excited for what the famed Miami nightlife had to offer. Children played in yards while their parents sat on porches or stairs watching and chatting with neighbors. There was no doubt that Miami was a city that celebrated life in every form.

This is what Calleigh would remind herself each time she faced death at a crime scene: That for every one death in Miami, there were thousands of people in this same city who were enjoying life.

She sighed contentedly and looked back over at Horatio. His eyes were focused on the road ahead of them, but a small smile graced his lips. Calleigh would easily admit that, even for a man in his fifties, Horatio was still very attractive. He kept in good shape and though his face had a few more noticeable lines now, she found they distinguished him. And while so many men became complacent as they aged, Horatio's passion for life and justice still burned with a force that, for many years, had both intimidated and inspired Calleigh.

She saw that fire in his eyes every day. The same eyes that had locked her in so many years ago.

Though Calleigh would've never admitted it at the time, the first time she met Horatio when he came into the firearms locker back in '97, she knew by his eyes that he was someone she could trust. And yes, she acknowledged that in that first meeting she developed a bit of a crush on him; one that she carried for a few years before she came to terms with reality. That didn't mean she didn't try to test the waters. Back then she felt bold enough to occasionally throw out a flirtation here and there to see what kind of response she would get.

Of course, he never reciprocated, but part of her knew that was to be expected.

Sitting in his car, staring at his handsome profile, Calleigh realized that time was a long time passed for them.

"_Oh the times, they are a'changin',"_ she thought to herself with a hint of a smile.

Horatio felt her eyes on him and looked at her quickly before returning his attention to the road.

"Something on your mind, detective?"

"Just thinking."

Horatio's eyebrows rose slightly as he maneuvered his car through traffic. "Care to share?"

Calleigh chewed on her bottom lip and looked down shyly. "Is this weird to you?"

"Is what weird to me?"

"Us … on a date?"

"Define 'weird.'"

Calleigh looked back up at him to see a mischievous smirk across his face. She smiled and shook her head. "You know what I mean."

Horatio slowed the car to a stop at another red light. He turned his head and looked her in the eyes. Calleigh suddenly felt overwhelmed under his scrutiny.

"It's not weird, it's just different," he said slowly as he reached for her hand. "And I mean different in a good way. I think neither of us is exactly sure what's going on or what we're feeling, but I think we can both agree that things are different between us. And I don't know about you Calleigh, but I'd like the chance to explore it a little more."

She looked down at their clasped hands, and watched as he slowly lifted her hand to his mouth. Calleigh knew she must have been blushing furiously, and when Horatio gently kissed the back of her hand, she thought she would melt right there in the car. It seemed like an eternity before she regained use of her voice.

"I … I'd like that, too."

His powerful blue eyes were staring intently into hers, his face only inches away from hers. Calleigh could feel herself being pulled to him ...

The sound of a car horn broke them from their trance.

Narrowing his eyes, but still smiling, Horatio turned his attention back to the road and drove. Calleigh sat back in her seat and took a deep breath to clear her head. She was amazed at how quickly she was succumbing to this attraction.

"_Be smart about this,"_ she warned herself. _"Think about what's at stake. For God's sake - this time - look before you leap."_

Clearing her throat, she absent-mindedly played with her seatbelt. "So, uh, where are we going?"

Horatio looked in his rearview mirror, then over his shoulder as he changed lanes, pulling onto Miami's famous Ocean Drive.

"I thought I'd surprise you," he said. "Is that okay?"

Calleigh smiled. "Of course."

* * *

Atlantis was one of Miami's most celebrated restaurants. Every night since it first opened on Ocean Drive, was booked solid, and there was a three-month wait list just to get reservations.

The blue glass walls of the interior were adorned with sparkling waterfalls. The interior was mostly open, comprised of white marble pillars and white tulle scalloped from the ceiling. The lighting was low; each table had a small round-glass lamp, which sat upon a pale blue linen tablecloth.

Horatio gently placed his hand on Calleigh's lower back and walked a step behind her as the host led them through the gauzy curtains of the patio entrance to one of the outdoor tables. The restaurant's terrace abutted a large garden where blue, white and purple flowers of several varieties were in full bloom.

When they had first arrived, Calleigh was immediately grateful she had opted to wear her strappy black heels, which made her choice of dress appear more couture as opposed to shoes that were more casual.

"_Thank you, Natalia,"_ she mentally praised her friend's advice as she sat down. She watched as Horatio seated himself across from her. She admired the dark suit he was wearing and how his suit coat accentuated the strong cut of his shoulders. He smiled enigmatically at her as the host left and their waiter joined them. As the young man handed them both menus and explained the specials for the evening, Horatio ordered a bottle of chardonnay. The waiter nodded and then stepped away.

Calleigh smiled broadly as she looked over the entrée choices.

"Call me inquisitive, but how on earth did you get us reservations on such short notice?"

Horatio looked up from his menu, grinned and then shrugged. "I called in a favor."

"That must have been some favor."

"You have no idea."

Their waiter returned with the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. Calleigh ordered five-pepper crusted tuna with grilled asparagus and pinot noir reduction. Horatio ordered pan-seared foie gras as an appetizer for them and an entrée of tandoori grilled Atlantic salmon with curried lentils and tahini sauce.

Calleigh took a sip of her wine as their waiter once again departed. Like the indoor portion of the restaurant, all of the terrace tables were full. She looked around at the other patrons and eased back into her chair, letting the night breeze wash over her. The air smelled like exotic flowers and rich spices.

"You look relaxed," Horatio commented, leaning forward slightly on the table.

"I am."

He picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "Long day?"

Calleigh looked at him again. "Horatio Caine," she scolded playfully. "You are not going to trick me into losing our bet. No shop talk."

He raised his hands in feigned innocence. "I didn't say anything about work," he rebutted. "I was merely curious about your day."

Calleigh sipped her wine, swirling the wine slowly around in the glass.

"Let's just say," she drawled slowly, "it's vastly improving."

Horatio smiled and reached across the table to take her hand. "I'm glad to hear it."

The softness of his skin combined with the strength of his hand sent fiery chills up Calleigh's arm and flooded the rest of her body. Part of her desperately tried to maintain some semblance of resistance, to fight the seductive effect he was having on her.

The rest of her wanted nothing more than to say damn the consequences and fall freely into him.

Allowing him to keep hold of her hand, she switched topics to something safer.

"How is Kyle?" she asked as she took another sip of the dry white wine.

Horatio saw her deflection, but allowed her to retreat temporarily into a more comfortable place. Giving her hand a squeeze, he let go and leaned back in his chair.

"He's doing good," he said with a father's pride. "He's really thriving at Dade U. He's very focused on what he wants. He is getting good grades and has a girlfriend … a young lady named Cassie that he won't let me meet, yet. He finally seems … settled."

Calleigh nodded, thinking about the madness that the young man had dealt with his entire life, being bounced from foster home to foster home, eventually ending up in juvenile detention then prison. Though she knew little of Julia, she genuinely wished the woman would've given Horatio the chance to raise his son, though she knew that the circumstances surrounding the boy's conception and birth were complicated. Still, it saddened her that Horatio had missed out on so much of Kyle's life.

"Well, he's got a good role model," Calleigh said softly. "You're a good father, Horatio. And he's a great kid. You two are lucky to have each other."

Clearly unaccustomed to such compliments, Horatio smiled shyly. "Thank you."

Calleigh continued to swirl the wine in her glass slightly before holding the glass up over the table.

"To Kyle," she said sincerely.

Horatio smiled broadly and gently tapped his glass against hers. "To Kyle," he responded.

* * *

They spent the next couple of hours eating and conversing. The more they relaxed, the more comfortable they became with each other. They talked about everything but their work. They discussed the typical things: Sports (Horatio was a Yankees fan while Calleigh avidly followed the Marlins), music (Calleigh revealed that she had a deep secret love for Bobby Darin), movies (Horatio told her his favorite actor of all time was Jimmy Stewart), and books (both noted how much they loved to read but rarely had the time to indulge in anything except inter-office memos and industry journals.)

But as the night wore on, they delved into deeper subjects: Calleigh told Horatio about her childhood in Darnell, Louisiana, and only having brothers to play with while she was growing up. And though he didn't talk too much about his past, Horatio told Calleigh about how he and Raymond would play basketball with other children in his neighborhood until well after dark some nights.

She noted his sadness as he talked about his brother, and reached over the table to take his hand. Horatio smiled gratefully at her gesture and gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"_So much strength in such small hands," _he thought as he touched her soft skin.

When he thought about it, she had known as many hellish experiences and terrors as anyone else he knew, and she still faced each day not only with optimism, but with a strong determination that most men in her position couldn't match even if they tried. He knew she wasn't unshakeable, but he respected and admired her dedication to the truth, no matter what the pursuit of it brought her way.

As their date progressed, Horatio's earlier apprehension about pursuing this new attraction he felt for Calleigh had eased more with every smile she flashed or laugh that escaped her mouth. He became fascinated by the way her eyes would sparkle like rare jewels when she was being mischievous or they way her cheeks would tint a lovely shade of pink when he flirted more openly with her.

As she sat across from him chewing on a bite of baklava, he watched her jaw move slowly as she savored the sweet pastry. The way her lips slowly slid over her fork hypnotized him. Every once in a while, she would close her eyes and make a contented little humming noise, only to open her eyes and blush at the realization that he was observing her so intently.

He was amazed that, though he had known Calleigh Duquesne for years, he never before noticed the woman that she was. Now that he had, the effect she was having on him was undeniable.

She swallowed and cleared her throat, breaking him from his concentration. Horatio gave her an apologetic smile and shook his head.

"Sorry about that. I kind of got lost in thought for a moment."

She returned his smile and played with her napkin. "Really? What were you thinking about?"

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes.

"I'm thinking that you are an incredibly beautiful woman ... and that I'm an idiot for not noticing it sooner."

As had happened that day at the mall murder scene, the rest of the world seemed to fade away to Calleigh as the impact of his words overwhelmed her mind and her heart. Swallowing hard, she looked back into his eyes and found not only goodness and trust, but also a heated passion she now craved body and soul.

"Horatio …" she whispered, her desire for him nearly choking her.

"Yes, Calleigh?" he asked, his own voice husky as he too felt the fires once again ignite between them.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

**A/N First, sorry this took so long. Real life kind of got in the way and took me out of town for a couple of days.**

**Second, I would love to hear people's thoughts on the date. I agonized over it for days, trying to keep H/C in character while still having my way with them. **

**Third, I love my reviewers and readers. You guys rock harder than a boat in a hurricane.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 4**

Calleigh's hands shook slightly, causing her keys to jingle as she unlocked the door to her apartment. She chewed on her lower lip, feeling Horatio's warm presence close behind her.

She had invited him back to her home with the offer of coffee, but the whole evening had been like an intoxicating dream: The wine, the food, his voice … his eyes … every time their hands brushed, she felt her skin tingle. Despite her own warnings to herself, she couldn't help but let go to this seductive force between them.

The hours spent at Atlantis seemed to have flown by. She wasn't ready for the night to be over.

_"I'm thinking that you are an incredibly beautiful woman and that I'm an idiot for not noticing it sooner."_

His after-dinner confession had affected her deeply. The impact of his words, the smooth cadence of his tone still sent shivers up her spine.

"_Let's get out of here."_

She couldn't have stopped herself even if she wanted too. It was all she could do from throwing herself into his arms in the middle of the restaurant.

Though both of them had chatted lightly during the ride back from the restaurant, they both knew the banter was a facade, something to distract them from the tension-filled aura that had encircled them. The electric current between them crackled and sparked with each look, each small touch, each smile ...

When they pulled up in front of her building, Horatio released a deep, shaky breath and looked at her. In any other situation, she would have laughed at the absurdity that Horatio Caine – the same man who would drive through a building that was about to explode to save a hostage, or who could outrun a tidal wave with a shooting victim in his arms, or who would walk into a burning car fire to save an infant's life – was nervous.

"_You learn something new every day,"_ Calleigh thought as he got out and opened her car door for her, taking her hand as they walked.

Now, as she stepped into her dark living room, she glanced over her shoulder at the outline of the man now standing in the doorway. Though the light of the hallway provided some illumination, the darkness of her home shrouded his features. For some reason, Calleigh found this oddly appropriate. Horatio was still very much a mystery to her, but - to her - he radiated light: Light that came from the goodness in his heart and from the strength of his convictions.

That light was a beacon in the madness. It was an inspiration when situations were dire. It was a calming force amid chaos.

Now that light was beckoning her.

"C'mon in," she called out as she made her way into her apartment. Horatio said nothing as he entered, closing the door behind him, which eclipsed the room into the dark. Familiar with her surroundings, even if she couldn't see them, Calleigh's hands quickly found the lamp on the end table. She flicked the switch and golden light lit up the room.

Horatio stood a few feet away, watching her movements, taking in the soft glow of her skin and the way her dress fit the beautiful curves of her body. His right hand twitched, and he wished he hadn't left his sunglasses in the car. At least then he would have something to do with his hands.

Especially since there was something else _very specific _he wanted to do with them …

It had been a long time since he had felt the kind of desire that Calleigh was invoking in him. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Like riding a roller coaster without holding on to the rail.

As if she felt him staring at her, she turned fully and gave him a shy smile, a hint of blush coloring her cheeks. She sat on the arm of the couch and slipped her shoes off. Though the act was innocent and probably not meant to be anything seductive, he found the simple movements of her nimble fingers and long legs extremely sensual.

He wondered if the skin of her legs was as soft as it looked …

"_Get a hold of yourself, man,"_ Horatio thought as he cleared his throat and looked down, mentally tightening the reins on his imagination. He reminded himself that his was Calleigh: Calleigh whom he depended on, trusted and above all highly respected. He knew he was seeing her in a different light, but he had to remember that she was still the same person: Loyal, dedicated and compassionate. She was not only an asset to his team; she was a blessing in his life – even if it was only as a friend.

But now he knew for certainty that he wanted more.

And to his great surprise, it appeared that the feeling was mutual. He had a good idea where they were heading, but that didn't mean he was going to run blindly in it. There was too much too lose. She deserved better than that.

"Horatio?"

He looked up at her call. She was standing now with an amused expression on her delicate features. The wind from the restaurant and the open car windows had loosened several wisps of her hair. He wanted so badly to run his fingers through it.

She approached him slowly, stopping directly in front of him …

Just a few inches away. He swore his heart would burst from his chest.

She tilted her head to the side and looked into his eyes, trying to read the gamut of emotions there. They stood there silently, almost daring the other to move first.

Both were too nervous to act.

Finally, Calleigh smiled and looked down. "Um, why don't you have a seat," she said, her southern drawl soft. "I'll go make us some coffee."

Horatio exhaled and nodded, suddenly feeling much too warm. "Sounds good. Mind if I use your bathroom first?"

"Go right ahead," she said over her shoulder as she padded barefoot into the kitchen. "I assume you know where it is?"

"Mmm hmmm."

Horatio took a couple of deep breaths and looked around as she disappeared around the corner. Taking his jacket off, he gently placed it on a chair. A small silver picture frame on the nearby end table caught his attention and he picked it up to examine it more closely. An image of himself from eight years prior looked back at him. Next to him in the photo, Calleigh smiled broadly as she held up a beer. Surrounding them were Alexx, Eric, Adele Sevilla, Megan and Speed, all with drinks in their hands giving a toast.

He remembered the night the photo was taken. It had been Speed's birthday …

_"I can't believe you guys put this together," Speed said as he looked around the small bar that was covered in tacky paper streamers and balloons. "I don't even celebrate my birthday. You shouldn't have gone to the trouble."_

_Calleigh blew on a paper horn and then grinned. The party had been her idea, and she recruited Eric to help, though the entire team chipped in to rent the place out for a few hours. Most of the lab had shown up._

"_Don't be such a stick in the mud, Tim," Calleigh sassed, her blonde ponytail swinging loosely. "Besides, we've all been working so hard lately, (she mock-glared at Horatio) I think we all deserve a party – even if it is at your expense."_

_The group relaxed that night, drinking, talking and listening to music. Calleigh tried to get Speed and Eric to wear party hats, but both men refused._

"_Funhaters," she said, sticking her tongue out at both of them._

_Alexx leaned on the bar next to Megan and Horatio. Taking a sip of her mojito, she elbowed her tall, redheaded friend slightly and nodded toward Calleigh who had left to retrieve a pool cue from the wall._

"_What do you bet she was the captain of the cheerleading squad in high school?"_

_Horatio took a drink of his club soda and looked back at Alexx. "Why do you think I hired her?" He deadpanned. "If she wears her old uniform to work, she gets a raise."_

_Alexx nearly choked on her drink, causing Megan to chuckle, something she hadn't been doing a lot of since she had returned from her leave of absence. Megan's lighthearted moments were few and far between these days._

"_Horatio Caine, you are so bad," Alexx said as she playfully nudged him. She knew he would never truly treat any woman with so little respect. _

_Wondering what the noise was about, Speed sauntered over and ordered a beer. "What's so funny?" he asked leaning next to Megan._

"_Horatio and Alexx are comparing notes on the roots of Calleigh's enthusiasm," the curly brunette replied._

_He looked over to the pool table where Calleigh was now hustling Eric and shook his head._

"_She's definitely got spirit, that one," he said, causing Alexx to bust out laughing again._

_Speed looked at the medical examiner incredulously. "I don't get it …"_

_Horatio smiled and laughed lightly. "You could say that Calleigh has team spirit, Speed."_

_Megan joined in. "Yeah, only instead of pom poms, she packs a 9-mil."_

_Speed shook his head and leaned against the bar. "She is waaay too cheerful sometimes."_

_Calleigh looked up from her shot and put her hand on her hip. "I heard that, Timothy Speedle! Don't make me come over there and kick your butt!"_

_Megan sipped her wine. "I'd watch it Speed, I bet she could take you."_

_"Nah, no way."_

"_Oh she'd definitely put you down, Tim," Alexx joined in. "That girl has spunk."_

_"Help me out here, H,"__ Speed pleaded with his boss indignantly. _"The estrogen brigade is ganging up on me."

_Horatio shook his head and watched as Calleigh nailed a difficult shot into a corner pocket. She smiled triumphantly and gloated as Eric slapped a ten-dollar bill down on the table._

_"Sorry Speed," he said as he continued to watch his ballistics expert. "She's a lot tougher than she looks. I would never bet against her."_

Setting the picture down, Horatio's heart tugged sadly at the memory of his fallen friend. It was so long ago ...

Suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, he decided that he badly needed some fresh air.

* * *

Calleigh busied herself in the kitchen and, once the coffee was brewing, poked her head around the corner to check on her guest. She was surprised when she did not see him. As she started back into the living room, however, a draft of night air swept through the room. Smiling, she turned and saw the patio door open. Horatio stood there, leaning against the rail, looking out at the city lights. He had removed his jacket and Calleigh watched with fascination at how the dark gray material of his shirt moved with his shoulders.

He caught the scent of her perfume in the breeze and turned his head as she approached him. The crescent moon above didn't shine much light on the world around them, but he didn't need it to. At that moment, he found that she was all the light he needed.

All these years, he could always rely on her light.

She smiled and leaned next to him against the rail.

"I love seeing the city like this," she whispered as she too stared out over the horizon. "Night or day, the city is beautiful … vibrant."

"Mmmm."

"I'm glad you had a good time on your trip," she murmured, "but you … you should know that I am very glad you are back."

"So am I. I missed you."

Calleigh smirked. "Yeah, well four days at sea on a boat with no one but men will do that to a guy."

Horatio smiled. "Frank would never look as good in that dress as you do."

"Oh God, the mental image of that is going to scar me for life."

Horatio folded his fingers together. "So, am I going to have to let Ryan out of his locker in the morning, or did you and Jesse take pity on him?"

"I plead the fifth," Calleigh chuckled. "And if I'm not mistaken, you just talked shop Lieutenant. Victory is mine."

Horatio paused, remembering their deal about discussing work. "Ah, you're right. Gun inventory it is."

"I promise to make it fun for you."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Even better."

Horatio looked at her as the words left her lips, but she continued to stare out of the lights ahead of them. Once again, warmth spread throughout him as the innuendo hung in the air with their silence. He wanted so badly to touch her …

Without thinking about it, Calleigh reached up and unfastened her hair, letting it cascade down around her shoulders. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The combination of the night air mixed with Horatio's cologne affected her and she shivered.

Her tremble added fuel to his already smoldering fire. Seeing her hair down, she looked so beautiful, so serene ...

She was so close …

"Cold?"

His voice was low and husky as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her body to his. Calleigh couldn't fight the rush of heat that flooded her at his touch. The pull was too strong.

She didn't even want to try to fight it.

"Far from it," she responded as she opened her eyes and turned to face him, watching in wonderment as his bright blues darkened and became smoky with the burning embers of desire.

Horatio's breath caught in his throat as he reached up and ran his hand through her silky, golden strands. Calleigh let her eyes drift shut again and leaned her head into his gentle touch. He moved his hand and cupped the side of her face, tenderly massaging her temple and cheek.

When his thumb brushed over her lips, Calleigh kissed it softly and opened her eyes.

Blue communicated silently with green.

_Are you sure?_

The look she gave him was all the permission he needed.

_Yes._

They moved forward at the same time, lips parted, hovering just above the other's before the taut line they had been riding finally snapped. He descended and captured her mouth hungrily with his own.

Lips, teeth, tongues clashed in an erotic consummation that they both gave themselves freely and eagerly to.

Calleigh's arms snaked their way across his back, her palms splayed wide against his tight shoulder blades as their lips met over and over with crushing intensity. Horatio buried his hands in her thick hair, gently pulling her locks as his mouth moved expertly against hers. A moan escaped Calleigh's throat as she lost herself in him, his strength, his smell, his taste … she was overpowered. She burned for him.

The soft sound shot straight through Horatio like a bullet and he felt his body tense with need. Never leaving her mouth, he pulled her tighter, wrapping his arms around her small frame. He lost himself in the feeling of her breasts pressed against his chest and the smoothness of her arms. He could feel her heart pounding rapidly against his own.

He wanted nothing more than to pull her completely into him, to ensconce her totally and completely.

Their hearts demanded more, but soon their lungs demanded air.

Breaking apart, Horatio leaned his forehead against Calleigh's as they both panted, trying to take in much needed – though unwanted – oxygen. He decided he would gladly give up air if it meant he could keep kissing this magnificent woman forever. He took in her lovely face. Her eyes were still closed, her soft cheeks were flushed and her luscious lips were swollen and bright pink.

She looked undone. He felt his body harden more at the knowledge that he was responsible for it.

"_God, I want more,"_ he thought. _"I want her."_

"Calleigh." He whispered, quickly succumbing to the delicious tickle of her warm, shallow breaths on his skin.

Slowly, her eyes opened; emeralds that were glassy with need. She stared into his heart, into his soul.

Never before had Horatio needed to have so much strength as he did at that moment. He dove deep within himself for the effort that he knew he would only have a tenuous grasp on.

"Calleigh, if … if we don't stop now," he stammered breathlessly, his eyes searching hers, "I won't be able to. Tell me … tell me what you want."

* * *

**So ... whatcha think? What will Miss Calleigh say?**

**You know I love me some feedback.**

**Much love to my reveiwers from Chapter 3:**

**Denese925: The ride is just beginning.**

**LA Calleigh: I'm glad you like the menu and I appreciate your continuous feedback.**

**CSINaomi: Thanks for the feedback and the smiles!**

**Armywife: Glad you are liking the story, sorry to make you wait on the update ;)**

**Aussiemiamifan: I won't give away too much, but I'm not done with the Yelina-thing yet. Muwahahahaha**

**Umbrella-ella: Super wishful thinking is the best kind. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

A/N: This is a repost of Chapter 5. I made some changes after originally posting it.

**Chapter 5**

Calleigh ran her hands over Horatio's chest, gently tracing the outline of his pectoral muscles through his shirt.

Her eyes remained locked with his, and her fingers grazed the buttons of his shirt. The burning desire to feel his warm skin raged through her like a wildfire and she knew by his look, the feeling was reciprocal. She ran her hands up and clasped them behind his neck.

He had asked what she wanted …

_"It would be so easy …" _she thought to herself as she considered what Horatio had said. His words weren't necessarily on offer as much as they were an inquiry for permission. He was giving her control of the moment, and her heart raced at the knowledge that this incredible man was willing to put his own wants on hold for her.

Perhaps it was because she was the child of alocholic parents, but somewhere along the way, she accepted the notion that it was okay for her to be of lesser importance to those she cared about. Though she hated to admit it, she certainly had no idea what it was like to be important enough to someone's first priority. Never before had she had that: John had always found a way to violate her personal space because, in his delusional mind, he thought it was his right to. Jake was so aloof – he would never show his emotional cards unless it was in some way to his benefit. Eric seemed to need her more to keep himself together than as an equal partner in their romance. Even the way they ended it had been on his terms.

After years of choices based on misconceptions, it was time she was with someone who would treat her with the kind of respect she had been missing in her previous relationships. She stood there in Horatio's arms, grateful that he was giving her that equality.

She bit her lower lip. Everything that had happened so far that evening had spoken of promise. His touch – his kisses – had awoken something powerful within her; something she was unwilling to contain any longer. Horatio had shown her a side of him she never knew about. Instinctually, she knew he was passionate: She had seen it in his work and his devotion to those who couldn't fight for themselves. But that was a different kind of passion. She had caught a glimpse of it that night in the ballistics lab when he caught her as she came apart. But the passion she now saw in his eyes and felt in his tense body was very new to her. Its intensity was almost frightening.

Calleigh licked her lips and stared deeply into his eyes. "What I want … very badly … is for you to stay with me tonight."

Horatio gazed upon her face and saw the underlying hesitation there. He had to admit, things were accelerating faster than he had anticipated. He had worked for years to establish the kind of control he now had. But that control had become virutally nonexistant when their lips had met for the first time. Her kisses had left him with a heady feeling. She was like a drug: All it had taken was one time and he was an addict.

Despite that, he knew what they both had to lose. He exhaled heavily and gave her a knowing smile.

"Why do I get the impression there is a 'But' coming?" he said softly, doing his best not to sound disappointed.

Calleigh sighed and pulled him to her tighter. Nestling her head against his strong chest, she allowed the fast and steady rhythm of his heart to give her the strength she needed to maintain her resolve.

"But …" she said, closing her eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea. Yet."

"Yet?"

She smiled and opened her eyes. "Oh definitely … yet."

She tilted her head up and rested her chin against him. "You … you make me feel like I'm on fire. Tonight has been so amazing, it is almost unreal. I think it would be very easy – for both of us – to take this to the next level right here, right now," she murmured softly, her breath warming his neck where his shirt was unbuttoned. "But I want to be smart about this. I'm not interested in something casual or just for fun, and I know you, you don't want that either. I want to keep exploring what we have, but I want us to have a real chance. I think we both deserve that."

She pulled back and brought one of his hands to her face. Her eyes met his again as her fingers lightly traced his knuckles, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

"I want to be with you," she whispered. "But I feel like I lost touch of you for a long time. Now here we are, and you are still very much a mystery to me. I want to get to know you better, if you'll let me. And I want you to know who I am. If we are going to do this, then let's do it right."

Searching her eyes, Horatio knew that she was speaking from her heart. This beautiful woman who made him feel alive again in a way that he had not thought possible was offering him the chance to build something solid and tangible with her.

One night - only a few hours if he was honest with himself - and everything between them had changed. No matter what the future held, the memory of her kisses and her touch were forever etched into his mind. When he thought about it, the idea of making more memories with her filled him with anticipation and hope. His prior reluctance about risking their friendship took a backseat to the promise of what she was offering him.

"I, um … after tonight … I can't go back to the way we were, Calleigh," Horatio said as he caressed her face. "I think this thing between us is too strong for us to try and delude ourselves that way. I want what you want, for us to have a chance. I want to be with you, to know you too."

The moon above was no rival to the captivating smile that crossed Calleigh's face as she took in what he said. If it were possible - and at the moment he believed it was - the stars above sparkled brighter just because she was happy.

"You enchant me, Calleigh," he whispered as he leaned in and captured her lips once again.

This time, their mouths moved slowly with the purpose of exploration. Horatio brought his other hand to her face, alternating his kisses between soft and more forceful nips. She moaned into his mouth again and clutched fistfuls of his shirt, sending jolts of erotic sensation down his spine. He deepened the kiss as he felt himself stiffen more and he pushed her backward until their bodies met the wall of the patio. Calleigh's smooth tongue dueled with his, relishing the taste of him. When he groaned in return, she went into overdrive and pushed herself into him more. The feeling of his firm, growing arousal against her body turned the fire within her into a blazing inferno. One that only he could extinguish.

"Oh God, Horatio," she gasped breathlessly as she broke a few inches from their kiss. "We, ah, we really should stop."

Unwilling to ignore the husky plea in her voice, Horatio groaned again and rested his head on her shoulder for a second to collect himself.

"Mmmm, you're right," he murmured against her skin, trying to regulate his breathing. "We need to calm down. You'll have to forgive me if it takes a few minutes though."

She chuckled and hugged him. They stood that way for several minutes, chatting and joking to lighten the intense mood that surrounded them. When they were both composed, Horatio pulled back and cupped Calleigh's cheek.

"It's late," he whispered, drinking his fill of her with his eyes. He wanted to commit this moment to memory forever: The feel of her lips, the taste of her mouth, the soft sounds she made in the heat of their kisses, the smell of her skin … he wanted to remember every detail.

"I should get going."

Her disappointment could only match his own. "You don't want coffee?"

He shook his head and laughed. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be up all night as it is."

"I hear ya," Calleigh returned with a bright smile.

Horatio leaned in and gave her one more quick kiss before letting her go. Then he walked back into her apartment and picked up his jacket as she walked past him to the door.

"So, I'll see you in the morning then?" she said as she opened the door for him.

"Absolutely," he said, giving her one last, sultry look. "Goodnight."

He walked out into the hallway and down the corridor. Leaning against the doorframe, Calleigh watched his stride as he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Still smiling, she sighed and went back inside.

* * *

**The next morning**

"Something … is missing here," Horatio muttered quietly to himself as he stared at the photographs that lay out on the light table in front of him. He examined the pictures of Dean Landon's bloody face and body, trying to decipher the secrets of the man's death.

Images of Calleigh's face and the ghost-feeling of her lips left him tossing and turning in his bed all night. He arrived at the lab hours before the rest of his crew. After being away, he wanted to be sure he was up to speed on the active cases. If he was going to have a case of insomnia, he reasoned that he may as well put it to good use.

The Landon case was troubling, to say the least. He had worked with Dean Landon a few times, and had always found him to be amiable enough, though when all was said and done, Horatio realized he didn't really know the man. He spent the better part of an hour sifting through Calleigh's and Tom's reports, trying to make sense of the murder. Tom had noted nine points of bullet impact; five of which where through-and-through (one point blank to the heart) and three recovered from within the body.

Calleigh's notes indicated the recovery of four bullets from the scene and reported examination of the scene had not yielded any other ammunition. Tom's report stipulated that two of the entries could have been caused by one bullet, since Gwen Landon told investigators that her husband had been laying on his side when she shot him, after which she rolled him onto his back. Testing at the scene had revealed gunshot residue on Gwen's hands and clothes, and her prints were the only ones found on the gun. Blood spatter on the bed and walls also seemed to corroborate her version of events.

The Landon's 16-year-old daughter, Jenna, had told officers she was in the backyard swimming when she heard the gunfire, but couldn't recall the numbers of shots. Further ballistics testing would have been required had Gwen not voluntarily confessed to the murder. The State Attorney's Office was content to go with what evidence they had and the confession. Abused wife or not, Gwen Landon could very well go to prison as a cop killer. The wheels were already in motion. In fact, her arraignment was scheduled for later that morning.

"_A person can only be pushed so far,"_ Horatio thought, doing his best to ignore the ghosts of his own past.

Still, something about the case was nagging him. His sharp eyes flitted back and forth between the photographs, as if looking for something the camera lens may have missed. He tried to put the scene as a whole into focus in his mind. What would he look for? What about this seemingly clear-cut scenario didn't add up? What wasn't he seeing?

When the mystery would not present itself, he tilted his head down and stifled a yawn. He considered that his thought processes may be hindered by fatigue and decided he would need a caffeine fix to get through the next few hours. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was nearly 7 a.m.; his team would soon arrive.

A slight shiver of anticipation ran through him in knowing that a certain beautiful blonde would be walking through the door at any minute. Horatio smiled slightly at the memory of Calleigh's warm body pressed against his and wondered if she had had the same difficulty sleeping as he had.

The sound of staccato footsteps brought him back to the present and he looked up as Ryan and Natalia walked down the hall together. Though no one was in the room with him, he nodded, mentally busting himself for daydreaming.

"_It's going to be long day,"_ he mused as he turned around to grab the box for the Landon case. Once he placed all the pictures back into their proper files and went through the standard procedure for handling evidence, he taped the box back up and walked to the door.

He had just checked the Landon evidence back in when his phone rang. Fishing it out of his jacket pocket, he read the display: **YELINA.**

Surprised that she would call this early, he hit the talk button and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Um, hello?"

"Good morning, Horatio," Yelina's sultry voice echoed over the line. "I didn't catch you at a bad time did I?"

"No, not at all. What's going on?"

She paused briefly. "I was just wondering if you and Kyle would like to have dinner with Ray Jr. and I tonight. Ray wants to grill out and I thought it might be nice to have some family time that doesn't exclude those of us with the double X chromosome."

Horatio looked down at his feet, torn over the situation. The events of the previous day at the boat pier were not on the forefront of his mind, but he knew that he was going to have to deal with it sooner or later.

Given his current state of heart, it would definitely have to be sooner.

"I'll, uh, have to give Kyle a call, but I don't think that should be a problem," he responded with sincerity. "What time were you thinking?"

"Why don't you see how your day goes and let me know when you think you'll be freed up. I know how busy you get."

"Ok. I'll talk to Kyle and let you know later on. Do you want me to bring something?"

"Just your appetite."

The sound of the elevator arriving caught his attention and he looked up to see if Calleigh was behind the sliding doors. When she did not emerge, he released a disappointed sigh and looked back down.

"Horatio?"

Realizing he had left Yelina hanging on the phone, he straightened up.

"Yes, sorry about that. I'm just a little distracted."

Yelina chuckled softly. "I can tell. I will see you tonight then."

"I'll be there."

"Oh and Horatio?" Yelina spoke before he could hang up, "I was hoping we could talk about yesterday, if that's okay with you."

The sound of the elevator once again caught his attention. This time, his eyes were greeted with a brilliant smile from the woman who incited his lack of sleep. Suddenly reinvigorated, he smiled at her and turned his attention back to his call.

"Okay. I'll call you in a little while."

Calleigh watched as Horatio ended his call and placed his phone back in the inner breast pocket of his black suitcoat. In her hands, she carried two wonderful-smelling, grande-sized coffees. She stopped in front of him and held out one of the cups.

"Lieutenant, the little bistro down the street just happened to give me this extra coffee, which might I add is extra strong. Would you like it?"

He smirked as he reached out and took it. His fingers brushed her hand, sending bolts of electricity through them both. Turning, they fell into step together as they walked down the hall.

"They just gave it to you, huh?" he said skeptically as he sipped that dark roast liquid, relishing the strong aroma.

Calleigh leaned over a little bit, but not so much to be thought inappropriate. "Technically, yes … in exchange for money," she joked, then lowered her voice, "I, uh, thought you might need it."

Horatio grinned. "You have no idea."

"Actually I do. That's why mine has a triple shot of espresso."

"Oh God," he mock-grimaced. "You're going to be bouncing off the walls later."

She laughed. "I'll have to risk it. I need to be awake for court today."

He frowned as they stopped at the stairs to his office. "You didn't tell me you had court today."

Calleigh took another drink from her cup. "The rule was no shop talk, remember? Besides, I wanted to win the bet. This is the first time I'm actually looking forward to inventory," she said quietly with a wink. "And it's not really COURT court. I wanted to go to Gwen Landon's arraignment."

"Yes, I was just going over the evidence from that case."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

He turned and started up the stairs, Calleigh following a step behind. "Is it just me, or does something seem _off_ about that whole thing?"

"No, I thought the same thing," she said as he unlocked his door. "It feels like we're missing something. Or overlooking it, I don't know. It's been driving me crazy."

He opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. "I think I'll go to that arraignment too. Maybe I can talk to Gwen, get some more information out of her."

Calleigh frowned as she passed him and entered his office. "Do you think she's hiding something?"

"I don't know," he said, shutting the door behind him. "These types of cases are tricky. And that multiplies exponentially when the victim is a cop. We know what Gwen has been saying, it's what she's NOT saying that I'm more interested in."

"Okay, so its back to the widow," Calleigh said, smoothing out her black slacks as she sat down. Horatio's eyes trailed over her bare arms and he admired how the cut of the white, sleeveless button-down shirt showed just a hint of cleavage.

She caught him staring at her and grinned wickedly. "See something you like, Lieutenant?"

Pushing himself away from the door, he walked over and set his coffee on his desk. He looked around to make sure all the blinds to his office were closed and then knelt down in front of her.

"Not something, _someone_," he said huskily, moving up so the his face hovered just in front of hers.

Calleigh closed her eyes and waited for the feel of his lips. After a few kissless seconds, however, she opened her eyes and looked at him quizzically.

"What's wr…"

He took her by surprise as he swept in and greedily devoured her. She whimpered at the force of his lips and opened her mouth when she felt his velvety tongue seeking entry. Bringing one hand up to his head, she ran her fingers possessively through his thick hair, holding his face to hers as they kissed passionately for several hot, breathless moments.

When Horatio finally slowed his assault on her senses, he kissed her one more time on the lips and then tenderly mimicked the action on her forehead. Leaning back on his honches, he smiled and ran his thumb over her lips.

"So … we'll head over to the courthouse together?"

"Mmmm hmmm," was all Calleigh's kiss-drugged mind would allow her to say. She pressed her lips against his thumb and smiled brightly.

Horatio stood and walked over to his chair.

"I need to check my e-mail and make a few calls, then I'll meet you downstairs," he said as he picked up his drink again. "If this doesn't take too long, would you like to catch lunch afterwards?"

"Sounds good," Calleigh said as she stood on wobbly knees. She had just made her way back to the door when Horatio called out.

"By the way, Calleigh?"

Feeling playful, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him a sexy look.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

He held up the cup she had given him. "Thanks for the coffee."

She grinned and reached for the door. "Not a problem. But next time, I'll let you provide the caffeine."

He raised an eyebrow and returned her seductive look. "Next time, you'll need more than three shots of espresso."

She chuckled as she opened the door. "Talk about bouncing off the walls …"

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the lateness of this update. My PC crashed and with it went my files and my original version of this chapter. And because I am a technological reject, I didn't back up my work. So I had to rewrite this chapter from scratch on a less than reliable laptop. Then I updated, decided I didn't like it and then reworked it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost. BTW, Nevins isn't dead either.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 6**

Fate, Calleigh considered, was a fickle force. For those who put stock into it, fate controlled most – if not all – aspects of life: The good times, the bad times, how people lived, how they died, the decisions a person makes which, in turn, ultimately facilitate another person's reaction to them; every second of every hour of every day and every breath we take could be a matter of fate. In theory, fate was all-knowing yet untelling, making powerless puppets out of living creatures. For those who believed in it, everything in life was a gamble and fate, being the house, controlled the cards. A person could disillusion themselves by trying to control the game, but doing that meant giving oneself over to risk in some form or another, and ultimately, fate would still win.

Like the song said, "you've gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em." But no matter how the cards play out, fate will have performed its part.

Though her arms hung limply at her sides, her right hand still clutched her firearm tightly. The smell of gunpowder fresh in her nostrils, she stood unmoving in front of the body laying in a pool of blood on the ground at her feet while paramedics swarmed around the various wounded that surrounded her. If her mind could have comprehended it at the time, she would have considered that when each person woke up that morning, they never truly knew what fate had in store for them. If they had, they probably would have stayed home.

She watched blankly as an EMS crew lifted Horatio's unconscious form quickly onto a gurney, and she couldn't help but wonder what cards fate would deal them next.

**An hour earlier …**

"It's killing me a little inside that we haven't been able to determine whether or not there was a ninth bullet."

Calleigh flashed a smile of gratitude as Horatio held one of the doors to the Dade County Courthouse open for her. Following her in, they both went through security, showing their badges and firearms to the deputies on duty. Gwen Landon's arraignment was to be held on the third floor in less than half-an-hour.

Horatio nodded, remembering that he had noted the possible absence of a ninth piece of ammunition in the case reports. Placing his hand on Calleigh's lower back, he silently led her to the elevators. Though the touch was small and discrete, it sent a ripple of excitement up her spine. She was certain he didn't intend for the action to be perceived as possessive - or even romantic - since they were in public, but part of her felt a thrill from it all the same.

"I mean, we looked everywhere," she continued as they walked, trying to control the blush that she could feel rising to her cheeks. "We triple-checked the trajectories on each of the wounds. And the problem is we don't really know if it was one of the earlier shots or one of the last. The last shot – the kill shot - was point-blank in the chest. That round, we have."

"It was my understanding that two of the wounds were most likely been caused by one bullet," Horatio said as he punched the button for the elevator. "At least, that is what Tom put in his report."

Calleigh rubbed her hands together and looked away. "I know, and it is the most plausible explanation," she said hesitantly. "One of the rounds that he extracted from the body does look like it sustained more damage that would be consistent with re-entry. But the trajectory is off by a few degrees. I don't know. Something about it just keeps eating at me. Maybe I'm just over-thinking it."

The elevator announced it's arrival with a "ding" and the doors slid open to an empty car. Horatio ushered Calleigh inside and followed, pushing the button for the third floor.

"Maybe it's not the mystery round that's bothering you."

Calleigh frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Let's see if we can get something more from Gwen," he said as the doors slid closed and the elevator started its ascent. "Perhaps she has a little more clarity about what happened."

"That's IF she'll talk to us," Calleigh retorted, pushing what Horatio had said to the back of her mind. "She's hired Sidney Pergot, or more like he appointed himself to her. I doubt he'll even let us near her, not unless it will get him on the top story on the five o'clock news."

Horatio tapped his fingers against his belt as he remembered the last encounter he had with the attorney. It had involved the attempted murder of a woman named Janice DeLia three years prior. Frank had referred to the man as "Triple-A lawyer": Abrasive, aggressive and an asshole. After Pergot spent seven hours questioning the lieutenant about every move of CSI procedure made during the DeLia case, Horatio found nothing to dispute Frank's astute assessment.

"Sidney Pergot," Horatio murmured, "is an arrogant gloryhound who loves exploiting his cases in front of the cameras. But more than that, he's a damn good attorney. Gwen picked the right lawyer. He's going to try to win this in the court of public opinion before it ever goes before a jury. Even if she gets prison time, Pergot will have her set up for book and movie rights within a year. And when it's a gubernatorial election year, he'll use that to push for a commuted sentence."

Calleigh sighed and looked down. "A battered woman accused of killing her husband who just happens to be a cop. A WELL-LIKED cop. This is going to get very ugly."

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Before Horatio could respond to Calleigh's comment, she walked out into the third floor waiting area.

Horatio was all-too familiar with the tragic circumstances of domestic abuse cases. Growing up, both he and Ray had suffered brutal physical and verbal assaults at the hands of their father. His mother, too, was often the victim to his father's drunken rampages. One day, the abuse went too far …

"Calleigh," Horatio called her quietly as he exited the elevator. She turned and was surprised by the haunted expression on his face. "Were there any reports of abuse on the Landons' daughter?"

"No formal complaints," she said, watching him intently. "Frank asked Gwen if Dean was hurting Jenna but she said he never laid a finger on her. In fact, as I recall, she said Dean was very affectionate with Jenna to the point where he spoiled her. He gave her anything and everything she wanted."

Horatio frowned. "Well, if that's true, it's fortunate that Jenna wasn't a victim in the same respects as her mother, but it is always possible Gwen is lying to protect her daughter. She herself wouldn't admit that she was being abused until it was too late. Maybe she doesn't want to put Jenna through the scrutiny."

Calleigh tilted her head to the side. "You think we should be looking into Jenna's medical history? Jenna's an athlete – she's on her school's track and swim teams. She has to undergo physicals at least twice a year, not to mention sports therapy on a regular basis. She's a minor, if her coaches, doctors or physical therapists detected any signs of abuse, they would have had to report it to the Department of Child Services. There were no indications of such reports as far as we could find."

"Yes, but you said yourself that she is an athlete. Her injuries could have been chalked up to being sports-related."

"Sure, in some cases, but we're talking about a man who allegedly had no qualms about splitting his wife's lip open on several occasions. I don't think he'd show any less restraint on his daughter if he was abusing her as well."

Horatio sighed and fought back the ghosts of his own terrible childhood. "Dean was a police officer. He would know the actions the school would take if Jenna started showing signs of abuse. Maybe he considered that."

"I think that would be giving him too much credit." Calleigh snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Horatio looked down. "Perhaps, but it still needs to be considered."

Sensing that there was something more to this situation than he was saying, Calleigh took a step closer to him and tried to meet his eyes.

"Is there something else going on?" she asked softly, concern evident in her voice and her gaze.

Horatio looked up briefly and shook his head. "I, um … No, at least not that I want to discuss here."

Clearly, something was bothering him, Calleigh reasoned by his mannerisms and the sudden change in his demeanor. He seemed so melancholy. She wanted so badly to take his hand or just touch him in some way that would let him know she was there for him, to show him that the special connection they had begun to explore was there. She cursed the fact that they were in a public place surrounded by their colleagues.

But rules were rules. While that hadn't officially chosen to address them yet, she knew Horatio would not want her putting her career in jeopardy for him. As far as Calleigh was concerned, however, IAB could take their rules and shove them up their …

"I have an idea," she said, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "Why don't you come over to my place tonight? I'll make some good ol' fashioned southern comfort food for dinner and if you want to tell me about it, you can. If you don't, well that's fine too. I'm sure we can find … something … to occupy our time with."

A sardonic smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he looked up to meet her gaze. Though she was trying to be playful, he saw the concern reflected her sparkling greens. He envisioned her moving about her kitchen with the same grace that she moved about the lab. And at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and …

... then he remembered.

"As much as I would love that," he sighed heavily, "Kyle and I are having dinner at Yelina's tonight."

Calleigh's eyebrows rose – involuntarily – something not lost on Horatio.

Calleigh wasn't the jealous-type and she trusted Horatio. She was confident that he was with her and that his plans were not of a nature that she should be concerned about. She wasn't the kind of woman who felt threatened very easily.

She _almost_ had herself convinced of this when she remembered the way Horatio used to _look_ at Yelina. There was always something strong between the two of them and anyone who had been within a mile of the pair could sense it. The tension between them was so thick that Speed used to crack jokes about needing a blowtorch to cut through it.

Calleigh never quite found that joke funny.

Horatio immediately picked up on her sudden unease and shifted from one foot to the other.

"Calleigh?" Horatio said softly, breaking her from her thoughts.

She caught herself drifting and smiled a little too broadly to reassure him. "Yeah, um, that should be fun for you guys. I'm sure it will be a good time."

If the two of them hadn't been through one emotional disaster after another in the last few years, Horatio would have thought the attempt to cover her obvious skepticism to be endearing. But he was trying to move on to a place in his life where the type of turmoil he had been through was over. He was ready to be happy. He needed Calleigh to know that he hoped she would be a part of that happiness.

"I don't think I need to tell you this, but Yelina is my sister-in-law, she is my family," he leveled as firmly as he could. "But she will never be anything more than that. I … I meant what I said to you last night. You know that, right?"

Calleigh thought back to their passionate encounter on her patio and Horatio's words - and kisses - rang clear in her memory: _"I want what you want, for us to have a chance. I want to be with you, to know you too."_

Though she was still getting to know him as a man rather than as his boss, she still knew him well enough to know that he was not the type of man who would play games with her heart.

Feeling foolish for doubting his intentions, she saw the reassurance in his blue eyes and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Of course I do," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Another night, then?"

"Absolutely," Horatio grinned as he turned and led Calleigh into a nearby courtroom.

The room was already filled with people: Reporters talking amongst themselves; a large group of angry-looking police officers who were most likely friends of Dean Landon, Pergot was there with his team which included his personal assistant, two members of co-counsel and a paralegal; and Assistant State Attorney Rebecca Nevins stood off to the side talking to one of her colleagues. She nodded to Horatio as he entered the courtroom, an expression of disappointment and whimsy crossing her angular facial features. He returned her nod as he motioned for Calleigh to have a seat.

Calleigh caught the subtle exchange, and despite her best efforts, felt a twinge of insecurity. Eric had told her that Horatio and Nevins had started dating soon after Speed died. Calleigh never knew for certain what caused the relationship to fail, but she knew the look on Nevins' face all-too-well: It was the look of a woman who had lost something very special.

The CSI forced herself to squelch the feeling, knowing that she was being reactionary.

"_You are being a head case, Calleigh, now get it together,"_ she thought with a sigh as Horatio sat down next to her.

Knowing something was behind Calleigh's strained release of air, Horatio gave her an inquisitive sideways look, but she merely smiled and shook her head.

"Blame the three shots of espresso," she said lightly as she gave his foot a slight nudge with hers. "All that caffeine makes me a little unpredictable."

"I'll keep that in mind," Horatio returned softly as he sat up straight and adjusted his jacket.

A relative hush fell over the room as Gwen Landon was escorted in by two deputies and seated in-between her lawyers. The pale, petite woman was roughly five-feet, five-inches tall and weighed next to nothing. Her jail-issued orange jumpsuit hung loosely off her frame. She kept her head down; her long, dark blonde hair covered her face and acted as a thin shield against the angry glares coming from the group of officers seated in the courtroom. Calleigh could feel their hostility and instantly became concerned for Gwen. She leaned over to Horatio.

"These guys are out for blood," she whispered, keeping her gaze locked on the back of Gwen's head.

Horatio glanced to the other side of the room. "Who? The reporters or our fellow officers?"

Calleigh looked over and saw the reporters frantically writing things down and texting on their phones, even though the judge hadn't entered and nothing had been said yet. She didn't want to think about how this would be played out in the press. Against her better instincts, her heart went out to the frail woman and wondered what ultimately would be her fate.

It was then Calleigh noticed that Jenna Landon was not present. She didn't know if that was necessarily a bad thing or a good thing.

Everyone rose as Judge Emil Houser entered the courtroom and sat down behind his bench. The aging justice was well in his sixties and near – if not passed the retirement – age. He reminded Calleigh of the man who played Perry White in the original Superman movies: He was short and gruff, but he had a thick head of gray hair.

And both she and Horatio knew he did not tolerate any "theatrics" in his court.

"Houser." Calleigh whispered, to which Horatio nodded knowingly.

The judge adjusted his glasses and looked expectantly at Rebecca Nevins, who had remained standing after the rest of the court had been seated.

"Are we ready, Miss Nevins," the old man huffed.

"Yes, your honor."

Houser then turned his attention to Gwen and her team, all who stood at the same time.

"We're here today for the case of The State of Florida versus Gwenyth Jane Landon who is accused of felony murder in the death of Sgt. Dean Robert Landon," the judge said sternly and looked over his glasses at Gwen. "How does the defendant plead?"

Both Calleigh and Horatio watched with interest as Gwen stood silent for a few moments. Pergot tilted his head and whispered something to her, causing her to nod.

"Not guilty, your honor."

The woman's plea was soft and barely audible, yet it caused a maelstrom in the small courtroom. Some of the reporters went flying out of the room, whipping out cell phones as they rushed into the hall. In addition, angry mumbles came from the group of officers. Houser banged his gavel loudly a few times, clearly annoyed with the ruckus.

"Knock it off!" he yelled above the noise. Horatio lowered his head and smiled at the justice's blunt manner. "If there are any more interruptions, I will clear this courtroom before any of you can say 'first amendment.'"

The remaining reporters settled, as did the officers, and Houser looked at Gwen and Pergot once more.

"Mr. Pergot, do you have anything else before we move on to bail and trial date?"

The sweaty, little man placed his hands on the desk in front of him. "Yes, your honor. We would like to ask for a continuance in setting bail and trial dates for a period of 12 weeks so that Mrs. Landon can undergo psychiatric testing and evaluation."

Horatio frowned. This course of action was to be expected by an attorney in this situation and he wasn't surprised the Pergot was going for the insanity defense. The problem was the evidence they had so far didn't support that conclusion. This type of strategy was always a gamble that rarely worked in the defendant's favor. For Gwen to agree to it meant she was about to take a big risk with her future.

When Calleigh folded her arms across her chest and leaned back, an intense look on her face, Horatio knew she was thinking the same.

Houser looked back to Nevins. "Are there any objections by the State, Miss Nevins?"

Rebecca shook her head. "We have none, your honor, as long as Mr. Pergot knows the State will also conduct our own evaluations."

Houser took a pen and scribbled something down on the file in front of him. "Very well. A continuance is granted for a period of 12 weeks. We will reconvene on …"

The doors to the courtroom flew open fast and a crowd crammed through the doors. Everyone stood and watched in surprise as a teenage girl with blonde hair pushed her way through the flock of reporters.

Jenna Landon's face was red and angry. Calleigh watched all the blood drain out of Gwen Landon's face as her daughter pushed closer to her.

"NOT GUILTY?" she screamed at Gwen over the reporters' questions and Houser's loud commands to exit the courtroom. "You confessed! You MURDERED my dad and NOW you are saying you're NOT GUILTY? You WEAK BITCH!"

The uniformed men immediately surrounded the girl, some trying to restrain her and some forming a protective barrier between her and the rest of the courtroom, as she continued her emotional tirade against her mother.

"You're pathetic, Gwen! You were a lousy wife and you're a bad mother!" Jenna railed. "AND YOU TOOK MY DAD AWAY FROM ME!"

Horatio and Calleigh both stood, ready to intervene, but before they could do anything, the teenager grabbed one of the officers' guns.

As he moved, the last thing Horatio heard was the explosive sound of gunfire.

* * *

**Okay, so this is a lot later than I wanted it to be, and for that I deeply apologize. The last few weeks have been very hellish between a big work project, everyone in my house (including myself) being down with a combination of the cold AND flu, and family events. Fortunately, the work project is done (big yay), everyone is healthy again and the family has gone back to their respective homes so I finally have some peace and quiet. With this explanation, I hope ya'll will forgive me for my tardiness.**

**For those who may not have noticed the second version of Chapter 5, I hope you'll go back and check out the revision.**

**I also hope this chapter puts to rest the "Yelina-Anxiety" some of you were having. H and Yelina? Would I do that to you? :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost. Nevins is still alive too.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 7**

_Horatio had the oddest sensation of déjà vu as he held open the door to the jewelry shop and followed Calleigh inside. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him a blindingly brilliant smile._

"_Why thank you, sir," she said as she walked into the building._

_He tried to mask the effect that she had on him, but found that it was becoming harder and harder to do. Though they were surrounded by exquisite gems, Horatio couldn't help but think about how Calleigh's beauty – both inner and outer – put every jewel in the store to shame. Part of him wished they were there on more personal business, but the other part of him knew that it was far too early in their relationship to be thinking about "that."_

_No, this particular visit was all business. And that meant he needed to be Lieutenant Caine: CSI, instead of Horatio Caine: Man who was falling in love._

_A well-groomed gentleman approached him as Calleigh looked through some of the nearby display cases. The man was tall with dark hair and dark eyes which briefly glanced at Calleigh before turning to the lieutenant._

"_We're here to see Mr. McCauley, please," Horatio said matter-of-factly as he subtly showed his badge._

_The man smiled. "Oh, Mr. McCauley is the previous owner," he replied in a think accent, most likely Swiss or Austrian. "I'm the new owner, Rudolph Kuerner. Call me Rudy, officer. Maybe I can help you with something?" Rudy nodded knowingly toward Calleigh, who was still looking around the store. _

_However, when he realized Horatio was not there to purchase something, Rudy became uneasy. _

"_I'd be more than happy to help the police," he added with forced sincerity._

"_Yes, I've recently been speaking with to your customer, Mrs. Tawny Williams," Horatio responded tightly, immediately sensing the storeowner's discomfort. _

_Rudy's demeanor quickly became more anxious._

"_Yes, I just heard the news about her husband. It's tragic," he said. Perhaps it was the man's obvious distress, but Horatio felt the air in the store become tense. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Calleigh pause, reaching for her gun and he suddenly forgot about Rudy's presence. If his cautious and well-trained ballistics expert was reaching for her weapon, then …_

"_Something is very wrong," he thought as the alarms started blaring in his mind. _

"… _she's such a nice lady," Rudy continued, but Horatio was no longer listening to the foreign man. Taking off his sunglasses, he tried to get a better perspective of his team member who was drawing her gun out of its holster._

"_Excuse me," he said dismissively to Rudy. "Calleigh?"_

_Calleigh looked back quickly at him, her face taut with tension as she brought her weapon up some. Their eyes met briefly as she motioned to the door of the back room._

_Now on full alert, Horatio mumbled "stay put" to the storeowner and walked around him. Behind him, Rudy kept talking._

"… _she and her husband are good customers …" but all of Horatio's focus was now on the door that Calleigh had motioned to. Ever so slowly, the doorknob turned and began to open._

_He wasn't sure why, but Horatio was suddenly overcome by a feeling of dread, as if he already knew where this situation was heading and he was powerless to avoid it._

_Time seemed to slow as he drew out his own gun and looked at Calleigh, whose eyes remained locked on the opening door. Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he tilted his head to the side to get a better view of who – or what – was hiding from them._

_Suddenly the door flew open and Horatio knew his hesitation had been a mistake. _

"_CALLEIGH!" he yelled, bringing his own firearm up as a man with a gun appeared in the doorway and began shooting._

_Calleigh pulled up her gun and squeezed the trigger. Though his attention was on the gunman in front of him, through the sound of gunfire, Horatio heard a familiar and distinct "clicking" sound. He also knew it wasn't coming from his weapon as he returned fire on the man shooting at them._

_The gunman fired again, but Horatio pulled the trigger two more times and struck the shooter. During the exchange, he had heard a sickening "thud," but before he could see what had happened, another armed man appeared in the door and began firing._

_Instinct took over and Horatio dove, rolled and fired on the second shooter. The gunman ran through the back of the store, still shooting at Horatio, before disappearing through an exit._

_When the second man was gone, Horatio quickly turned his attention to Calleigh._

_And watched in horror as his world began to collapse._

_Calleigh lay on the floor, gasping and struggling in vain for air. Blood ran from her mouth and poured down the front of her dark blue shirt from the gaping wound in her chest. Horatio rushed to her side and grabbed his phone: "This is CSI Caine, we've got a priority here, I've got an officer down, shots fired!"_

_He knelt over her and touched her shoulders and face, desperately trying to keep her awake. Fear coursed through his veins as Calleigh's blood began to pool on the floor around them. She tried to move and her frightened, glassy eyes met his, pleading with him for help._

"_You're gonna be … Calleigh, look at me," Horatio tried to comfort her as best he could. His mind raced as he tried to think of something – anything – that he could do to save her, "you're going to be okay. You'll be fine."_

_Horatio didn't know who he was trying to convince more: Calleigh or himself. He wasn't normally a man who prayed, but he mentally begged God not to take her away from him._

"_Don't do this," he thought as tears began to flood his eyes. "Take me instead. Me, damn it. Not her."_

_Still Calleigh bled._

"_I … can't feel anything," she gasped. Blood spattered around her mouth as she talked and continued to fight for air. Horatio took out his handkerchief and wiped the drops of her precious life-force from her skin. In his panic-stricken mind, he couldn't let one drop of her blood be wasted._

"_Alright," he tried to soothe her. "Hang in there."_

_Calleigh's body began to tense and she arched a few inches from the floor. Horatio leaned in closer so that she could try and focus on him, believing his very willpower would be enough to keep her from slipping away._

"_Cal. Calleigh? Keep breathing, please baby. Keep breathing for me."_

_Calleigh lifted her arms sluggishly and patted her chest. "Can't … feel …"_

_Her body shook and she started to convulse, spitting blood onto Horatio's face and clothes._

"_Okay, sweetheart," he said, ignoring the spatter of fluid on him. Refusing to let her go, her grabbed her hand and gripped it tightly as she continued to convulse. "Stay with me, Cal. Stay here. Please … please don't leave me now."_

_Horatio felt Calleigh's hand go limp in his own and watched her entire body still._

"_Calleigh."_

_He grabbed her face and turned it nearer to his own, hoping the action would stir her awake._

"_Calleigh?" he said with more urgency when she didn't respond. Still he continued his attempt to revive her, denying with every fiber of his being that she was gone. "Calleigh?"_

_He rested his ear upon her breast, desperately hoping to hear the rhythm of her strong heartbeat. But when he raised his head, her warm blood was smeared on the right side of his face. _

_Several moments passed before he would finally allow himself to acknowledge that her heart had stopped. _

_And so had his._

"CALLEIGH!"

Horatio's eyes flew open and then slammed shut as pain shot from his head down his spine. Taking deep gulps of air, he fought the rising nausea in his throat.

After a few moments, he lifted his right hand and tightly pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I wouldn't try moving too fast, Honey."

Horatio recognized the warm and familiar voice and slowly opened his eyes.

"You may be hard-headed, Horatio Caine, but you still got your bell rung pretty bad. I know you don't want to hear this, but you are going to have to take it easy."

A slender, African-American woman in a white lab coat leaned over him and stroked the top of his head gently. Her black hair hung loosely around her shoulders and the familiar scent of her jasmine perfume filled his nostrils.

Though he wanted to give his old friend a smile, the small facial movement caused more pain in his head and he groaned.

"Good to see you too, Alexx," he grimaced. "Where am I?"

Dr. Alexx Woods gave him her patented "Mom-glare." It wasn't the first time he had been on the receiving end of that look, and he figured it wasn't likely to be the last, either.

"You're in Kansas, baby," she said sarcastically. "Just call me Aunt Em. Do you think you can sit up? You need to drink some water."

He nodded slowly and closed his eyes again. He felt the head of the bed begin to rise slowly, which caused a small wave of dizziness to hit him. When the bed stopped, he took a couple of shallow breaths and opened his eyes again.

Alexx sat next to him and folded her arms across her chest.

"When I said we needed to get together more often, this wasn't what I had in mind, Horatio," her large, coffee-brown eyes danced with mirth as she scolded him.

Though she was only part-time in Grace Memorial Hospital's Emergency Room and her shift had technically ended three hours ago, once she heard Horatio was being brought in, she insisted upon staying and overseeing his case. Used to her pushy but highly-effective manner, the ER's attending doctor had merely shrugged and walked away. He knew better than to take on Alexx Woods: A fact she would happily remind Horatio of if he tried to obfuscate her directions for his health and well being. She picked up a nearby glass of water and held the straw to her friend's dry lips.

This time, he gave her a small smile and took a sip, the cool liquid hydrating his dry mouth and throat.

"Thank you, Alexx," he said.

Alexx watched Horatio glance expectantly around his room, looking for something that clearly was not there.

"_Or SOMEONE," _she thought, noting the name he had loudly called out before he had awoken.

When he didn't find who he was looking for, Horatio rubbed his forehead. The ghosts of his nightmare clung to his psyche and he closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened to land him in the hospital.

All he could remember was the sound of gunfire.

"Alexx, what happened? Is Calleigh okay?" his voice was tired, but there was a deep fear on the edge of it that worried the doctor.

Alexx sighed.

"You have a concussion. You took a pretty good blow to the head. How? I don't know exactly. You've been out for a couple of hours and I've been with you the entire time. But Frank and Natalia are in the waiting room, they can fill you in on the other details."

She hadn't answered his question about Calleigh and Horatio felt the anxiety reminiscent from his dream grow within him. He remembered being with her at the courthouse. He remembered Gwen and Jenna Landon. He remembered gunshots ...

He needed to see Calleigh, or at least hear her voice. Anything that would tell him she was unharmed. Determined to find her himself, he tried to sit up, only to again be overcome by dizziness. Feeling his head swimming, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. This time, he felt Alexx's strong hands on his chest pushing him back down to the bed.

"Oh no you don't," she said sternly. "Unless you want me to go Wicked Witch of the West on you, you better keep your butt in this bed. That is an order, Lieutenant."

His eyes still closed, he frowned. "Alexx, I NEED to see Calleigh, NOW," he groaned through gritted teeth. "Please … please hand me my phone."

Concerned by the desperation in his voice, Alexx stood and walked over to the closet where Horatio's clothes and personal effects had been placed. The truth was Frank had told her Horatio had been involved in a shooting at the courthouse, but he hadn't said anything about Calleigh being involved. Since Frank and Natalia were the only ones to show up at the hospital so far, she assumed Calleigh was working the case with the rest of his team.

From the amount of anxiety Horatio was displaying over the lack of Calleigh's presence, she knew there was a good chance her assumption was wrong. She checked the pockets of his pants and jacket, coming up empty on both. Then she searched a small, white plastic bag that held his wallet, badge, watch and shoes. Alexx had personally given his gun to Frank.

But she could not find his cell.

"I'm sorry, Horatio, but your phone isn't here," she said, putting the bag back into the closet.

Hearing this, Horatio opened his eyes and glared at her. "What do you mean it isn't there?"

Alexx knew her friend was in pain. She also knew he was very worried about his ballistics expert. She finally took into consideration the fact that Horatio hated hospitals, and it was because of those three things, that she let his tone of voice and attitude slide.

Mostly.

"I mean, your phone. Is. Not. Here," she replied, waving her hands in a circular motion to accentuate her point. "It might have gotten misplaced in the ER, so why don't I go take a look there and you can talk to Natalia and Frank."

Horatio looked to the table near his bed. "Is there a room phone I can use?"

Alexx shook her head. "Sorry baby, the phone lines on this floor are being rewired this week. The only active landlines are at the nurses' station. All the room phones are down, but I'm sure Frank will let you use his cell. Just don't be on it too long or it will make some of the equipment around here act up."

Horatio leaned his head back into his pillow and exhaled in frustration. "Okay, Alexx," he conceded. Feeling both nervous and tired at the same time, he realized just how short he had been with his dear friend.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he apologized. "I'm just ... I'm worried."

"About Calleigh. I know," she said, walking to the door. "Let me send your team in while I try to find your phone. I'll be back in a bit."

Once Alexx left the room, Horatio sighed and tried sitting up again. His head throbbed and he was still overcome by dizziness, but he couldn't lay still. Not when he had no idea what had happened to Calleigh.

He remembered the first time he had had the nightmare: It had been almost a year after Speed had been killed. For many months, the dream had haunted him. Sometimes there were different variations of it, but the end result was always the same: It would be Calleigh, not Speed, with him at the jewelry store and it was always Calleigh who died.

This time the dream was different. This time, he didn't lose his friend … he lost the woman he loved.

He sighed and fidgeted in his bed. In a low-lit restaurant not so long ago, Calleigh had confronted him, telling him that she knew he had been distancing himself from her for years.

"_After Tim died, you stopped working cases with me. At the time, I assumed it was because you wanted me to train Ryan. As a level three, it made sense to pair me with him, and that was fine. It was my job and I have no qualms with that. But once Ryan was acclimated, you still opted to work with Eric more. And after Rio … I think I can count on one hand the number of times you and I actually worked a case. And that was roughly four years ago."_

What she didn't know - what he never told her - was that the nightmares were the reason he pulled away and not just from her.

He wouldn't let anyone in. Even as he dated Rebecca Nevins, he kept part of himself closed off from her.

Yes, he told Rebecca about his dreams involving Speed, but no one knew about the dreams involving Calleigh. It was almost as if speaking about them would ultimately lead to her death. As irrational as he knew it was, he could not bring himself to risk it.

But his paranoia began to go beyond that.

He had lost his mother, brother and his good friend. He wondered if he was being punished for his sins ... so he separated himself from those he worked with. Even after he discovered Raymond was alive, he still stayed at a distance. He put Yelina and Ray Jr. on the plane to Brazil, and told himself that it was so they could be with Raymond as a family. Deep down, however, he knew he was pushing them away on purpose.

For a while, he was content with that, or at least he convinced himself he was. He had his work and that was enough. The truth was, however, that he was afraid.

Then Marisol came into his life and she wouldn't let him hide behind fear. He admired her tenacity and the strength of her resolve. Little by little, she wore down the barriers he built up around his heart, until one day, he woke up and realized he was in love with her.

Though he knew in the beginning their time would be short, she refused to let her illness stand in the way of their life together. They made plans. Over time, they both began to believe she could overcome her cancer solely by their love. They married and planned on having a family. He finally allowed himself to believe that he deserved to be happy.

And then a sniper's bullet took her away from him.

Standing in front of his wife's casket at her funeral Mass, Horatio cursed God for his cruelty. He couldn't help but feel as if he was nothing more than the punchline of some unending cosmic joke.

When Marisol's murderer was set free, he refused to let the universe have the last laugh.

He followed Antonio Riaz to Rio de Janeiro and later returned to Miami with blood on his hands.

After that, he sank into a deep abyss of apathy. He ate, slept and went to work everyday, but he was merely functioning. He no longer cared about the dangers that faced him. He had nothing left to lose.

Until Kyle.

His son had saved his life. The boy forced Horatio to pull himself out of the darkness. While the idea of suddenly being a father completely turned his world upside down, he pushed his own anxieties aside to protect his flesh and blood.

Horatio loved Kyle with a father's determination. When all was said and done, Kyle gave Horatio a reason to fight. He gave Horatio a reason to live.

But it was Calleigh – his beautiful friend, loyal partner and (when he thought about it) fierce defender – who had awakened in him something he thought long dead: The ability to be IN love.

For years, he hadn't seen how extraordinary she was, but she had always been there, right next to him. Even when he wasn't looking.

Now, she was all he could see. Her breathtaking smile. Her sparkling eyes. But it was her unbreakable spirit that had ultimately captured his heart.

His nightmares be damned. He would not become a slave to the fear that had previously consumed him. He stared at the door, wanting her desperately to walk through it. Everything else could wait.

Horatio refused to let another day go by without telling Calleigh that he was in love with her.

* * *

**So ... any ideas where Calleigh is? I promise it will be addressed in the next chapter. Let's put it this way, she probably isn't where you think she is, but feel free to take a guess.**

**And to those Alexx Woods fans, don't fret: We will be seeing her again soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 8**

Her ears were still ringing from the gunshots.

When she closed her eyes, she could still see the blood.

It annoyed her that her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Stretching her fingers out, Calleigh gripped the Hummer's steering wheel tighter, hoping the action would calm her nerves. But the truth was, the chaotic events inside the courthouse that morning still had her in the grip of fear.

Everything was a blur:

_Protocol would have dictated that she stay at the scene, but she couldn't. She followed the EMTs as they took Horatio out to the waiting ambulance. She remembered one of them asking if she wanted to accompany them._

_She approached the stretcher and took Horatio's warm, heavy hand in her own. She watched his chest rise and fall with each breath and mentally sent up a prayer of thanks that he was still alive. The paramedic said his heartbeat was strong; that he had been knocked unconscious. One of them made mention of "possible head trauma."_

_She didn't need them to tell her. She watched the horrifying events unfold. She couldn't get them out of her head._

_Behind her, reporters were yelling out questions, frantically trying to get anything they could on the "story." She felt the cameras on her back. She watched other uniformed officers tape of the entrance to the building. _

_She knew the team would be arriving soon. IAB wouldn't be far behind them._

_Again, the EMT asked if she wanted to go with them._

"_No," she said softly as she placed his hand back down. "There's something I need to do … for him."_

_It seemed like within a split second, the paramedics loaded Horatio into the bus and took off. Before they closed the doors, one of them told her they were heading to Grace Memorial. Those two words carried great comfort. Calleigh instinctively knew Alexx would take care of him._

_She walked to the Hummer, thinking fate played its part again as she fished the keys out of her pocket: Horatio had asked her to drive that morning. She was gone before her colleagues arrived._

Calleigh glanced wearily at her cell phone lying silent in the empty passenger seat. The digital display flashed the same message: **10 MISSED CALLS. NEW VOICEMAIL(S)**. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. She knew she would be called to the carpet for avoiding the questions she knew were coming. But from the moment the ambulance left with Horatio, she knew what she had to do.

She stared out the window, watching and waiting. She wasn't sure she was going to find who she was looking for, but she had to try. She owed it to him.

But she was at war with herself at the moment. The memory of watching Horatio fall made her head dizzy with nausea. Though the EMT's had told her he hadn't been shot, it had taken her back to that goddamn airstrip a year ago …

"_He's dead. Horatio's dead."_

Shaking her head, Calleigh refused to think about Wolfe's words and Horatio's ploy. She wasn't sure she would ever truly come to terms with those particular events in her past, but now was not the time to dwell on it. She needed to keep her head in the game.

It was just that so much had changed. At the time, she thought she had lost a dear friend and her mentor. Now … he was so much more to her. Though she had tried to use her head, her heart would not be denied.

She had called the hospital and gotten an update on Horatio's condition from a very rude and abrupt nurse. While she was relieved that his injuries were not life-threatening, she still wanted with every fiber of her being to be there – to see him breathe. Touch his hand. Hear his heartbeat. Hold him in her arms. As irrational as it was, she needed that reassurance that he was still with her. She didn't ever want to go back to that airstrip again. She couldn't.

And yet she knew in their line of work, the possibility was always there. She had dealt with it when it came to Jake and Eric, but she knew that this time - that Horatio - was different.

She was falling in love with him. It felt fast and uncontrollable, but she couldn't stop herself. She wasn't even going to try. There were no more hesitations, no more second-guessing.

"_Oh God, I just found him,"_ she thought as she took a shuddering breath.

Calleigh squeezed her eyes closed, suppressing the welling tears, and forced herself to focus. She needed to be strong. She had to do this one very important thing, and then she would go to him.

The sound of her phone vibrating shocked her back to reality and she grabbed it from the seat: **MDPD HQ.**

She turned her face forward and saw her target emerge from the building she was parked in front of. Ignoring the call, she dropped the phone back on the passenger's seat, opened the vehicle's door and hopped out.

"_Stetler's going to be waiting a while," _she thought as she walked quickly, all the while reminding herself that Horatio needed her to be strong. She would never let him down.

* * *

Frank Tripp was not a patient man. He hated being put on hold and waiting in lines. His ex-wife, Melissa, used to bark at him when he'd start tapping his foot on the floor or his fingers on the tables at restaurants. His kids learned quickly that if he was picking them up from school, soccer practice or the mall that they needed to be on time if they didn't want to end up grounded.

He also hated being kept in the dark, especially where the people he cared about were concerned. After he had gotten word that his best friend had been injured in the shootout at the courthouse that morning, he blew three traffic lights on his way to the hospital.

So when the middle-aged, ratchet-faced nurse at the information desk told him he'd have to wait for Horatio's doctor to come talk to him, he almost blew an artery.

"This is bullshit," he growled, glaring stonily at the large woman.

Fortunately for both Frank and the nurse, Natalia arrived two minutes later and pulled the impatient detective into the waiting room.

"Please inform Horatio's doctor that his colleagues from the Miami-Dade Police Department would like a status update," Natalia politely asked the nurse as Frank swore again under his breath.

"I'll let Dr. Woods know," the nurse sneered sarcastically.

Frank wheeled. "Dr. Alexx Woods?"

Nurse Ratchet looked non-plussed. "That's the one, so if you'll just have a seat …"

He reluctantly allowed Natalia to lead him, but the big Texan refused to sit.

"At least we know he's in good hands," Natalia said. "And she won't keep us waiting too long."

"Hmmph."

Several minutes passed and Frank paced while Natalia walked over to the nearby television and turned up the volume. Every station was reporting on the courthouse shooting. Natalia stared at the serious-looking brunette reporter on the screen:

" … say that at least four people were killed in the melee. Unofficial reports from within the Dade County Courthouse have told Action 3 News that among the dead is District Court Justice Emil Houser. Houser, a 35-year veteran of the Florida legal system had been the youngest district justice appointed to a Florida bench …"

Natalia closed her eyes and changed the channel.

" … The Miami Sun-Times, who had staff in the courtroom at the time of the shooting, is reporting on their website that their senior crime reporter and 30-year newspaper veteran, Charles Malen, is among those who were killed in the shootout …"

"They say anything about Horatio?" Frank asked from across the room. Natalia shook her head.

"Not so far. Right now they seem to be content just speculating on the dead," she sighed. "Unbelievable. I bet Tom hasn't even removed the bodies yet, much less had time to let our people notify the families."

Video footage from outside the courthouse filled the screen. Frank stopped pacing and joined Natalia in front of the television. They watched as a familiar tall man with dark hair and wearing a blue suit walked from the building. The man was scowling and talking angrily into the cell phone pressed against his ear.

Frank groaned in recognition. "Stetler. That's just great. Wonder what he's so pissed off about."

Natalia folded her arms across her chest. "Think about it. You've got a room full of cops in a courtroom where an alleged cop killer is being arraigned. A teenage girl is able to get one of THEIR guns off them and then the bullets fly. I may not like Stetler, but I can see why he'd be in a bad mood."

"Yeah, well, I can't wait to see what he comes up with," Frank grunted moodily.

Natalia shook her head and looked down when she heard her own phone ring. Ryan Wolfe's name and number flashed on the display.

"You'll have to take that outside, Miss," the nurse yelled from her desk. Before Frank could yell back, Natalia nodded and walked quickly out the doors that led to the parking lot. She answered the phone on its fifth ring.

"Ryan, where are you?"

At the courthouse, Ryan looked over his shoulder to make sure he was a safe distance from the reporters. Too many burns from Erika Sikes as well as his own short-lived stint in the media had made him overly suspicious of the press.

"I'm at the scene," he said, his voice low. "Jesse and Walter are in the courtroom with Lohman. I just got done watching the security video of the shooting. What's the word on H?"

Natalia looked around the parking lot. "We don't know yet, but Alexx is overseeing his case. We should hear something shortly. What's going on there?"

Ryan looked down at his feet. "We've got five bodies. Judge Houser, a reporter ..."

"You better watch it up there Ryan," Natalia cut him off. "The news is already talking about the judge and reporter. There could be a leak."

Ryan shook his head. "That is an understatement. According to one of the bailiffs, the room was filled with reporters. They were front and center for the main event. Jesse thinks one of them may have compromised the scene … not that it makes a difference in the long-run."

Natalia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ryan looked over his shoulder again to see Tom and his crew bringing out a gurney with a black body bag on it.

"There's not going to be a prosecution for this shooting, Nat. Jenna Landon was killed. . It's all on the video. One of the cops in the courtroom put her down right after she shot her own mother. She was firing all over the place. And when she started, half of the uniforms in there drew on her. One of them tried to grab her from behind. He took one in the upper shoulder, thanks to one of his fellow officers. He's lucky to be alive I'm taking a copy of the footage back to the lab."

Natalia closed her eyes. "Jesus. Ryan, Jenna was just a kid."

Ryan paused for moment, trying not to let the tragedy of the situation overwhelm him. Cases involving his fellow officers were hard. Case involving children and teenagers were especially difficult. That made this case that much more hellish for everyone involved.

"Yeah."

"Wait, that's four bodies, who was the fifth?"

Ryan sighed. "Deputy Joseph Kramer. Right out of the academy. This was his first day on courthouse duty. It looks like Jenna shot him in the neck before she shot Gwen."

Natalia put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, mentally praying for her fallen brother's soul. "Oh God. That girl died a cop killer."

Ryan looked at the disc in his hand. "There's more," he said, again keeping his voice low. "Kramer took that bullet while trying to save someone else."

"Who?"

Ryan swallowed hard. "Horatio and Calleigh were in the courtroom, Nat. Horatio was in front of Calleigh when Jenna started shooting. Kramer tackled him just as Jenna fired on them. If Kramer hadn't acted …"

Natalia's eyes widened. "Then either of them could have been killed."

"I need to go over the footage again, but it certainly looks like Kramer saved H's life."

"I … I can't believe this. How does a teenager in a room full of cops go on a shooting rampage? It doesn't make sense."

"I know, and we're working on that part," Ryan said in frustration and paused again. "How's Calleigh holding up?"

Natalia frowned in confusion. "I haven't seen her. Isn't she with you guys?"

"No. I thought she'd be at the hospital with you." Ryan said as he looked around, checking to see if he had missed his blonde colleague. "I haven't seen her since the lab this morning."

Just then, Frank appeared in the doorway and motioned to Natalia.

"Uh, I've got to go," she said abruptly. "I'll call you when I know more."

"I'll do the same," Ryan responded. As soon as he ended his call, he punched another button on his phone. Holding his breath, he counted the number of rings before he got Calleigh's voicemail.

"Cal, it's Ryan," he said, trying to suppress the sound of worry in his voice. "Give me a call as soon as you get this."

* * *

"He's a little grumpy, but he's awake."

Alexx put her hands in the pockets of her lab coat as she filled Frank and Natalia in on Horatio's injuries.

"Why don't you guys head in there," she continued as she nodded to Frank. "We can't seem to find his cell phone and I think he wants to borrow yours, Frank. Speaking of which, he's very worried about Calleigh, do either of you know where she is?"

Natalia and Frank looked at each other. "I was just asking Ryan about her," Natalia said. "I thought she was at the scene and he thought she was here with us."

Reaching into his pocket, Frank pulled out his phone. He had just pressed the number for his contacts when his favorite nurse yelled from afar.

"Sir, you can't use that in …"

Frank hit Calleigh's number and put the phone to his ear. "Oh stuff it, will ya?" He shot back.

Alexx suppressed a smile. She had dealt with that particular nurse before, and it was never a pleasant situation. Turning, she motioned to the nurse that Frank's use of the phone was okay. To this, the nurse huffed and stomped away from the desk.

She turned back just as Frank began leaving her a message.

"Calleigh, it's Tripp," he said urgently. "Call me as soon as possible."

Natalia ran her hands over her face as Frank ended his call. "Okay, I'm starting to get a little freaked out here," she said anxiously. "Where the hell can she be?"

"Look, I'll keep trying her," Alexx sternly tried to reassure them both. "You two need to go see your boss, and DON'T let him know that Calleigh is M.I.A. He needs to rest and stay calm. I don't want anyone stressing him out any further."

Natalia looked back at Frank, who nodded in compliance. As they headed down the hall to Horatio's room, Alexx walked over to the nurse's station and picked up the phone.

"Honey, I don't know where you are or what's going on," she mumbled as she dialed, "but you better answer your phone when _I_ call you."

* * *

Horatio lay in his hospital bed, listening to the reporter on the television detail the massacre that had occurred around him a few short hours ago. The dusky hues of the late afternoon filtered through the window shades in his room as he stared out the window.

After he left messages with Kyle, Calleigh and Yelina, he had instructed Frank and Natalia to head back to the lab and help the rest of the team. As they left, he made a very quiet, but very important request:

"If you hear from Calleigh, will you please have her call the hospital."

Though it was only a matter of hours, Horatio felt like it had been days since he had last seen her. He had asked both his friend and his CSI if they had heard from her, but both had deflected his questions.

"She's probably still at the scene, H," Natalia had said. "You know Calleigh, she takes the term 'thorough' to a whole new level."

He leaned his head back into his pillow and exhaled a long breath. He was also concerned about his son. News of the shooting was all over the television. While the press hadn't picked up on his own wounds, he knew it was a matter of time before his name would appear in the newspaper or on a telecast.

Using Frank's cell, he had left a message for Kyle to call the hospital or Alexx, but like Calleigh, he hadn't heard from him yet. Not having _a_ phone - let alone _his_ phone - was quickly driving him crazy.

Yelina, however, had called Frank back just before he left Horatio's room. He talked to her briefly, reassuring her that he was "fine" and apologizing for having to cancel their dinner plans.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she had said with concern. "I'm just relieved that you are okay."

She also offered to come sit with him, but he declined the gesture. The truth was he was tired, his head hurt and he was progressively getting more worried about Calleigh by the second. In short, he wasn't going to be good company, even for someone who only had the best intentions.

He picked up the remote and turned the television off. Alexx had told him that his X-rays and CT scans all came back okay, but she was going to hold him overnight for observation.

"If you don't give my nurses a hard time, I'll spring you first thing in the morning," she had promised with a smirk.

He closed his eyes, hating the feeling of helplessness he was experiencing. He considered getting up, checking out against medical advice, and going to find Calleigh himself. The only problem was when he tried to stand up, he was quickly overcome by dizziness.

Still, all he had to do was get a taxi and head back to the lab. Once there, he could enlist Walter or Jesse's help in finding Calleigh.

Alexx could kill him later, after he was sure Calleigh was safe.

Determined, Horatio sat up and was just about to call the nurse when the door to his room opened. He looked up into the worried blue eyes of his son.

"Dad, are you okay?" Kyle exclaimed as he ran to his father's bedside and hugged Horatio.

The force of Kyle's embrace nearly knocked Horatio backwards. He patted his son on the back and returned the hug tightly. The men had had their share of scary moments where the other was concerned, and Horatio hated that his son had to go through yet another emotional upheaval.

"I'm fine, son," he said gently as Kyle eased away from him. "Just a knock on the head."

Kyle sat on the bed next to him. Horatio noted how anxious the young man appeared.

"I'm glad it was nothing more serious," Kyle said, concern still evident on his face. "I, um, I was really worried about you."

Horatio looked down. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said remorsefully. "But I promise you that I'll live."

"Thank God for that."

He looked back up at Kyle. "You must have gotten my calls."

Kyle shook his head. "Actually, I left my cell at home."

Horatio's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How … how did you know I was here?"

"I brought him."

Her voice came from the doorway and Horatio quickly turned his head. Though the rapid movement caused a slight twinge, his relief at seeing Calleigh, alive and well and standing before him, almost instantly killed the pain.

Her green eyes were unreadable and she looked exhausted. She gave him an awkward smile and slowly entered the room. As Horatio's eyes trailed over her, he noted a small spatter of dark red blood on her now-wrinkled white shirt. He could tell by the pattern that the blood was not hers.

"We would have been here sooner," she explained softly as she approached the other side of Horatio's bed, "but there was a pile-up on the causeway, it stopped traffic for miles. I even used the light bar, but we couldn't get through until fire and rescue were done clearing the path."

Kyle stood with a smile. "It was cool, Dad. Calleigh turned on the lights AND the sirens."

Horatio grinned slightly, knowing that technically his subordinate shouldn't have done that, but still somewhat amused that she had.

"I'm going to see if there's a pop machine around here," Kyle said as he rubbed the back of his head. "You guys want anything?"

Calleigh and Horatio both declined and watched as Kyle left the room. As the door shut, Horatio looked at Calleigh and patted the side of his bed, motioning for her to sit. She hesitated for a second, before easing down next to him.

"I tried calling you, too," he said softly, trying to meet her eyes. "What happened?"

Calleigh looked up with bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry," she said softly as she took his hand in hers. "I left the scene right after the paramedics took … took you away. I turned my phone off because IAB has been calling me non-stop. I'm probably in deep shit with Stetler."

Horatio raised his eyebrows at her use of profanity. It wasn't like Calleigh to swear, but he could see how fatigued she was. It was clear that she had been through hell that day. Though he had been upset at his inability to contact her, he knew she had been through enough. He wasn't going to add to her misery.

She exhaled and looked away, trying to conceal the tears forming in her eyes.

"I called to check on your condition, but the nurse said you were still out. I know I should have stayed at the scene, but … but there was media everywhere. I knew it would be a matter of time before your name would be broadcast. I couldn't let Kyle find out like that."

In the midst of all that chaos, she had thought about the effect the news of his father's injury would have on Kyle. She put her job on the line to take care of his family. Horatio was overwhelmed at her loyalty.

But when he really considered it, Calleigh was his family too. She had been all along.

Reaching up with his free hand, he softly stroked her face. She closed her tired eyes and leaned into his touch. When a single tear escaped down her cheek, he swept it away with his thumb.

"I should call headquarters and check in," she mumbled, her fatigue getting the better of her. "Stetler is going to have my badge."

"Sweetheart, you are exhausted," he said as he gently pulled her to him. "Why don't lay down here with me for a little while."

Part of her wanted to protest, to say there wasn't enough room, or that someone could walk in on them at anytime.

The other part of her wanted only to hold him close and feel him breathe. Not to mention the fact that a nap sounded heavenly.

Opening her eyes, she saw affection and adoration reflected back in his. Once again, she mentally thanked God that he was okay.

She slipped off her shoes and climbed up into the bed. Horatio moved over and wrapped his arm around her as she settled in against his body. They lay cuddled together, their breathing making the only sound in the room.

"Thank you," he finally whispered as he stroked her hair.

Calleigh turned her face up to his. "For what?"

Horatio smiled and placed a finger under her chin. He gazed soulfully into her beautiful eyes.

"For always being there – and here – for me."

She smiled back, grateful beyond all words that he was a part of her life.

"I always will be handsome," she murmured as he closed the distance between their faces and pressed his warm lips against hers.

* * *

**So ... any thoughts? Any feedback? Anyone still reading this?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 9**

"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner."

Kyle cradled the receiver of the payphone against his ear and lifted the can of Mountain Dew to his mouth, taking a large gulp of the cold beverage. Though the Hummer had air conditioning, he had been dying of thirst for the entire ride.

He was returning from his daily run when Calleigh had found him, and when all was said and done, he was very grateful to the blonde CSI for coming to get him. The news of his father's injury both shocked and scared him, making the traffic-induced delay to the hospital that much more intolerable. Though Calleigh tried to fill him in about Horatio's condition as best she could, she too seemed stressed and anxious about the events that had led to his father's hospitalization. Years spent learning how to size people up told him she was putting on a brave front for his sake, but he could tell by her eyes and demeanor that she was deeply troubled.

He knew Calleigh had worked with his father for a long time, but he had rarely seen them ever interact with one another. His father had spoken highly of her in the past, but it was always with a strange formality – as if she were completely foreign to his life. Calleigh, too, typically seemed guarded when in her supervisor's presence. Kyle assumed that it had to do with her professional status, though he noted that his father was less – tense – when working with other members of his staff. There were times when he wondered if maybe his dad didn't get along well with Calleigh and vice versa. It would explain the weirdness between them.

Kyle, on the other hand, really liked Calleigh. During the summer when he interned at the medical examiner's office with Dr. Price, Calleigh had always been friendly to him, never treating him differently because he was the boss' son, but also never giving him a hard time about his age or his inexperience. He appreciated her honesty, which in turn, earned her his trust. And trust was not something Kyle Harmon gave out freely. Life had taught him not to.

He glanced at his watch, realizing he had been gone from his dad's room for a while. Most of the time had been spent finding a vending machine that had his choice of soda, then another portion of time looking for a payphone to call Cassie. The young couple had had plans to meet that afternoon for a movie, but when Kyle went for his run, he left his cell in his dorm room. He thought it inappropriate to ask Calleigh if he could use her phone to call his girlfriend, making this was the first opportunity he had to get in touch with her.

Cassie was a very sweet girl, but she had a bit of a temper. It didn't bother Kyle: The trait made her that much more attractive to him. Still, he expected some ire for standing her up. He was relieved when she gave him just the opposite.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad your dad's okay," she replied supportively. "It sounds like he is one of the lucky ones, the whole thing is all over the news. How horrible."

Kyle frowned. Calleigh had told him there was a good chance that his father's name would be released in the media. He wondered if the shit had finally hit the fan.

"Have they mentioned my dad by name yet?" he asked, trying to suppress the anger and anxiety in his voice.

Cassie paused and he could hear her moving around on the other end of the phone.

"Um, yeah … hold on and I'll pull up what The Sun has on their website."

Grinding his lower jaw tightly, Kyle looked down and shuffled his foot over the floor as he heard Cassie typing. He knew she was right; his father HAD been one of the lucky ones and Kyle was indebted to whatever entity was on Horatio's side that he only suffered relatively minor injuries when others had lost their lives.

He finished off his soda and sighed. Just yesterday they had been having coffee on a boat, fishing and relaxing. Between his classes and his dad's job, they were rarely able to spend any quality time with each other, which made the trip that much more important to him. For his entire life, Kyle had wondered about his parents: Who they were, what they were like, why they hadn't come for him … and finding Horatio had been like finally finding himself. He was no longer a lost, little boy with no history who lashed out for being abandoned. He had a home and a father who loved and trusted him.

And all Kyle wanted to do now was protect him.

"It's on the front page of all the major local news sites," Cassie's concerned voice broke through his train of thought. "Wife accused of killing cop shot dead by daughter … Gwen Landon appeared in Dade County District Court … charged with felony murder … Jenna Landon, 16, burst into the courtroom after Gwen Landon pleaded not guilty to the charge … I'm scrolling down some more… here it is: Lt. Horatio Caine of the Miami-Dade Police Department's Crime Lab was taken to Grace Memorial Hospital by a rescue unit after the shooting. Though no official statements have been released, unnamed sources within the department say that Caine had suffered a non-life threatening head injury after a courthouse deputy knocked him to the ground during the melee. The deputy, who has not officially been identified, was reportedly shot and killed. Preliminary witness reports indicate the deputy's actions ultimately saved Caine's life, but no official confirmation has been made by police administration yet. A Grace Memorial Hospital spokesperson declined to release information about Caine's condition."

Kyle tossed the empty pop can into a nearby garbage bin and rubbed his forehead. "I kinda figured his name would get out sooner or later."

"Yeah," Cassie said solemnly. "I'm sorry sweetie. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay … you know … tired," he responded. "I think I'm going to stay here at the hospital with him tonight, just in case he needs anything."

"You want me to come down there or bring you guys anything? I hear that hospital food sucks. I'd be happy to make a coffee or food run for you."

"I think we'll be fine, but thanks," he said. "Listen, I better head back to his room. I'll give you a call in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Cassie returned. "But if you change your mind, I'll be home tonight. You can call, I don't care how late. And please tell your dad I hope he feels better."

Kyle smiled; his girlfriend's display of compassion and loyalty made him adore her that much more. "I will. Thanks. I, uh, you're the best."

Once they had finished their goodbyes, Kyle walked back to the vending machine he had previously visited and bought another can of soda. As he slid a dollar bill into the machine, he remembered what he had told his father about Cassie the other morning:

"_She's a great girl, I really like her."_

In truth, that had been a huge understatement. He loved everything about her. He was sure he was in love with her, but everything about being in a relationship was so new to him. He didn't want to rush into something that he had no bearing on. Both he and Cassie were still young, they were both dedicated to their educations and their futures, and they both had plans for their individual lives.

But when she laughed or smiled at him, he felt like he already owned the world. Still, he didn't want to screw up a good thing. He knew he was being overly cautious, but years of disappointment had made him that way.

Grabbing the can of soda from the bottom of the machine, Kyle decided to stop over-thinking his relationship for the night and instead, focus on his dad. It took him a few minutes to figure out where he was in the hospital before he eventually found his way back to the wing where Horatio's room was. It was starting to get late, and the hospital's corridor was quiet.

"_I wonder if Calleigh's still here,"_ he thought, noticing through the slightly open door that the room was dark. _"Maybe Dad went back to sleep."_

Opening the door further, Kyle could make out the soft sounds of the television. Entering quietly, he stepped around the hanging ceiling drape and stopped short of the scene in front of him:

They were asleep; Calleigh nestled snugly against Horatio in the hospital bed, her head and hand lay on his chest. His dad's arms were tightly wrapped around the pretty detective and his head rested atop of hers. They both had content smiles on their faces.

"_I guess they like each other after all,"_ Kyle thought, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. _"Go Dad."_

_

* * *

_

The sound of a buzzer broke through the quiet darkness Horatio was immersed in. Slowly, he began to pull himself out of the haze of sleep and his eyes fluttered open.

The first thing he noticed was that his entire left side was weighted down, but then a hint of familiar, designer perfume filled his nostrils and he smiled. Softly kissing the top of Calleigh's head, he gently tried to sit up more without waking her.

Horatio recalled that they had been watching television when Calleigh had drifted off. She looked so peaceful and serene, and felt so warm in his arms that he couldn't help but be lulled into slumber himself.

Now more awake, Horatio looked up at the television. A basketball game was on, but a news ticker ran across the bottom of the screen, still updating information from the courthouse shooting. He frowned as he saw his name roll across in blocky white letters, and then closed his eyes altogether when the names of the dead appeared as well. He still didn't know for sure what had happened and the thought of his staff working the case bothered him. He trusted their skills and their abilities, but he didn't like not being on the frontlines – especially on a crime scene of this magnitude.

As if telling him to stop thinking so loudly, Calleigh shifted slightly against him and released a soft sigh. He opened his eyes, the light of the television cast a bluish glow in the dark room. It highlighted some of her features while hiding the others in shadows.

He thought back to the observation he made the night he had taken her home from Bleu's: She truly was a luminous combination of light and dark.

He caressed her arm lightly, hoping to lull her back to deep sleep. He was worried about her ... he knew she was concerned about IAB, but he planned to help her deal with Stetler. He knew she wouldn't want him to, but she needed someone to have her back when she went into the lion's den.

She had been doing so well, he thought, even before they started down the path of their romance. The cold and angry months where they had been so divided seemed far behind them now, but he could still remember how distant she had been. They had taken big steps, both individually and as a couple, to get to where they were now: Happy and – if he dared even to think it – in love. He prayed this incident wouldn't cause her shut him out and retreat back within herself. He was willing to do whatever it took to be there for her.

Before she had arrived, he had been determined to tell Calleigh how much he cared about her. But given the enormous stress she had been under that day and how tired she was, he decided to wait.

"_There will be time,"_ he thought as he pushed a fallen strand of hair from her face. _"I need to do this right, for both of us." _

A soft snore from the right side of the room caught his attention and he looked over at its source. Kyle was asleep, reclined as far back as the chair he was stretched out in would allow. His head was tilted back and his mouth hung slightly open. A smile tugged at Horatio's lips and he wondered what his son thought when he saw Calleigh curled up with his old man.

_"Looks like I'll have some explaining to do,"_ he thought with amusement.

It didn't bother him, in fact, the idea of sharing his happiness with his family filled him with hope. He wanted the young man to accept the relationship. More than anything, he wanted Kyle and Calleigh to like each other. He debated on whether or not to wake his son up and send him home for a good night's sleep, but he opted to leave him where he was. Kyle was clearly tired and needed the rest.

Looking back and forth between the two most important people in his life, he felt his heart swell with love and gratitude. He laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes again, silently thanking God for both of them.

* * *

"Well now, this isn't what I was expecting to see."

Alexx folded her arms across her chest as she stared at the three sleeping occupants of Horatio's room. Kyle was sprawled out in a chair with his feet up and his hands behind his head, the early morning sun was breaking through the window shade and which cast bright stripes of light across the boy's face and body. The young man snorted slightly, turned his head away from the window, and then resumed sleep.

But that wasn't the doctor had found so amusing: Walking further into the room, she quietly leaned against the wall and watched her two friends sleep peacefully. She had come into the hospital early, as promised, to check on Horatio and start his discharge process. But when she walked into his room, her eyebrows practically jumped off her face: Calleigh lay against Horatio's side, her arm draped across his midsection and her head resting against his chest. Horatio lay next to her with one arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders; his other hand clasped over hers on his stomach. His head was back and tilted to the side, as if he were breathing her in.

Both were out for the count. Neither had so much as flinched when Alexx walked in.

The tall doctor watched them for a minute. She had known both of them for years and considered them to be amongst her closest friends. She had been there with them through some of the happiest and hardest times of their lives. Years ago, Alexx had watched them work together: Flirting occasionally and bantering freely, but always achieving the right results in the end. During those times, she wondered if maybe there was something more between the two of them. It definitely had seemed like the potential was there.

But over time, she noticed a growing quiet. She never approached it – it wasn't her place – and as the years went by, she merely accepted that Horatio and Calleigh were co-workers - nothing more, nothing less. They were friendly enough, but Alexx rarely heard them talk about anything that wasn't work-related. There was no more witty repartee, no more jokes or laughter. It was all business. And even then, it seemed like their interactions were few and far between.

Alexx began to wonder if she had been wrong in those early years and began to doubt whether or not the "potential" she thought she saw was ever there to begin with.

This made finding the two of them in bed together that much more of a surprise.

The doctor looked at the clock on the nearby wall and smiled: It was 6:45 a.m. Walking quietly across the room, she sat down in a chair and folded one leg over the other, waiting.

Promptly at 7 a.m., a familiar, sour-faced nurse entered the room carrying a clipboard. When she walked around the curtain, the large woman spotted the couple in the bed and Alexx sitting in a nearby chair.

Folding her beefy arms across her chest, the nurse cleared her throat the tapped the bed roughly with her knee.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we prefer to keep it one person to a bed," she said loudly.

Alexx grinned as she watched Horatio's, Calleigh's and Kyle's heads all pop up at the same time. Calleigh and Horatio both appeared a bit disoriented. Kyle, however, mumbled something incoherently and laid his head back down.

"What … what time is it?" Calleigh murmured as she tried to sit up, her voice still sleep-heavy. Horatio, too, sat up and squinted against the sunlight that was coming in through the window.

Alexx stood and walked up to the bed.

"Oh, I think it's time for someone to fill me in," Alexx scolded as she tapped Horatio's chart against her hand. "Obviously, I've been left out of the loop."

* * *

**Busted. :)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 8. It really helps me to know the people are still reading. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost. There will be a minor reference to S7's "Smoke Gets In Your CSI's."

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 10**

It didn't matter how many times he watched it, the end result was the same.

Ryan pushed the pause button in the video playback program and leaned back in his chair. Vigorously rubbing his face, he glanced at his watch, noting the early hour and debating on whether or not it was worth it to go home when he would have to be back in the office soon anyway.

He had started examining and breaking down the courtroom security footage about mid-afternoon yesterday and hadn't left the AV lab since, with the exception of coffee and corresponding restroom breaks.

Leaning forward again, he ran his hand over the touch-screen computer and rewound the video. He yawned and stretched, working the kinks out of his neck, then he returned his focus back to the large screen. Reaching over, he pressed "PLAY."

He didn't expect to see anything new. What he had already seen was tragically disturbing enough. But still, Ryan's OCD had kicked in with full force sometime after midnight. His own mind wouldn't let him rest until the information from the video was properly logged and his report was finished.

Once again, his eyes watched Jenna Landon burst into the courtroom, surrounded by the press. Once again, he watched the shock and dismay on Gwen Landon's face as several uniformed officers tried holding her enraged daughter back. Once again, he watched Horatio and Calleigh simultaneously rise from their seats at the exact same time that Jenna produced a gun.

Once again, he watched the muzzle flashes from the firearm as a 16-year-old girl haphazardly began to open fire on a room full of people.

And once again, he watched a young deputy take a bullet in the neck as he desperately tried to save the life of Ryan's boss.

Kramer didn't look like much of a cop. He wasn't very tall and of an average build. Seeing him in the earlier moments of the incident, he did not appear too intimidating. In fact, his stance was so relaxed, he looked positively aloof.

"_Then again, he didn't know he was about to die,"_ Ryan thought morbidly.

The CSI sighed and paused the video again, freezing it as Kramer and Horatio hit the ground. While it appeared by all counts that Kramer had died a hero, Ryan didn't know how comforting that would be to his had informed him that the deputy had gotten married six months ago. His wife was now three months along with their first child – a child that would never know his or her father.

If Kramer hadn't acted, then he would have most likely survived. But Horatio Caine – the boss and mentor Ryan admired more than anyone else in his life – would be lying on a table in the morgue instead.

For a split second, Ryan was relieved that the situation was what it was. And he felt like the world's biggest asshole for it.

He reached up and pressed play again, resuming the events of the video. He watched people scatter as several cops try to disarm Jenna as she continued squeezing the trigger. He watched Gwen Landon be thrown back against the desk as she took a round to the chest. He watched the judge slump over the bench as the next bullet hit him in the face.

Melee. Chaos. Anarchy.

"_No matter what names you put on this,"_ Ryan thought as he pushed pause again, _"it all ends in tragedy. All in a matter of seconds."_

He toggled forward, the next few frames showed officers continuing to struggle with the teenager. The video showed another muzzle flash, and Jenna slumping down.

Ryan stopped the footage once more. Natalia's report stated that MDPD Officer John Awkin was the one who shot and ultimately killed the girl, ending the lethal insanity unleashed in the small room. The look on the uniformed officer's face reflected the internal conflict he must have been going through as he ended the life of someone so young.

All of these things – these images – were troubling to Ryan, but he was able to keep the events in perspective. The courtroom was a crime scene. This video was evidence.

What he was having trouble separating himself from was an issue concerning the slender, blonde figure at the bottom of the screen.

Resolving this to be the last time, Ryan rolled the video back to just before the shooting started. Calleigh and Horatio sat in the second row as Jenna burst into the courtroom. They both stood as Jenna began shouting at her mother. As Horatio began to move forward toward the girl, Calleigh drew her firearm.

But when Horatio and Kramer went down, Calleigh froze. And for the next few seconds, as chaos and death ensued, Ryan's friend and co-worker stood unmoving, her firearm gripped tightly in her hand.

Ryan stopped the video again, this time shutting down the program and ejecting the disc. Anyone with half a brain could watch the video and see Calleigh never had a clear shot of Jenna. There was no way she could have stopped what had happened.

Unfortunately, the fact still remained: She froze in the midst of a shootout, one where she very easily could have been killed. Ryan held the silver disc in front of him, examining its glossy surface intently.

"_Something caused Calleigh to freeze," _he thought. _"But that won't be the worst of her problems if IAB gets a hold of this."_

He glanced at his watch again. It was nearly 6:30 in the morning. Torn between duty and loyalty, Ryan placed the disc in a plastic cover, and put it in his coat pocket. Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed Calleigh's number, hoping that THIS time, she would answer. When he was again greeted with her voicemail, however, he swore under his breath and ended the call.

He needed to talk to Calleigh and Horatio both. And he knew he needed to do it before Stetler came looking for him. If he couldn't get a hold of Calleigh, he would start with Horatio. Perhaps his boss would know how best to handle the situation.

"_I hope Alexx hasn't sprung him yet,_" he thought as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

* * *

Calleigh and Kyle were asked to relocate to the hallway as Alexx poked, prodded and probed Horatio for 15 minutes. And when she finished interrogating him about Calleigh, she finally began his discharge examination.

"Take a deep breath," she said as she held the stethoscope to his chest. "And when you let it out, tell me when you started looking at my girl like that."

Horatio flinched slightly at the touch of the cold metal and inhaled. He held his breath for a couple of seconds before he released it with a look of complete innocence.

"How … _exactly …_ was I looking at her, Doctor?"

Alexx stood up and grabbed a light pen from her lab coat pocket. Glaring at him, she flicked it on.

"Uh-huh, no you don't," she said, shining the light briefly in each eye to check his pupil reaction. "You know what I'm talking about. You look at her like a kid in a candy store on 'free samples day.' How does your head feel?"

Horatio squeezed his eyes shut and then blinked rapidly as little dots from the light flashed in his vision.

"My head is a little tender, but fine," he said, his eyesight returning to normal. "However, you're going to have to explain that candy store analogy to me, Alexx."

Alexx sat down on the bed next to him. Pointing to the door, she fixed her eyes on his.

"You know: Like you want everything you see. Your eyes practically jumped out their sockets and followed her out that door," she reprimanded. "So tell me, what's going on with you two, because last I heard, you guys were barely talking."

Horatio furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "When and – more importantly – where did you hear that?"

"I have my sources," she huffed. "Now stop evading the question. I'm not letting you out of here until you give."

Sensing that his friend was going to make good on that threat, Horatio sighed with a smile and leaned back in the bed.

"We're involved," he said slowly, "To be honest, I think it is still as much of a surprise to us as it is to you."

His friend sat silently for a moment, then shook her head and stood up, flipping Horatio's chart closed with a "snap". Walking briskly over to the window, she pulled up the blinds, letting the bright sunlight stream into the room.

In all the years the two had known each other, Horatio was well versed in Alexx's current behavior: She was unhappy … and it puzzled him greatly.

"Something wrong?" he asked, watching Alexx's deliberate movements. "… Or is it that you, you don't approve?"

Alexx turned and glared at her friend.

"It's not up to me to approve and you know it," she said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alexx," Horatio murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Clearly, something about this latest turn of events upsets you. And I think I have the right to know why."

She looked away for a moment, before setting the chart down and sitting down in a chair next to his bed. She folded her hands together, put her elbows on her knees and leaned forward.

"Look, you and Calleigh are my dearest friends and I love you both," she responded in a low voice. "But … but I know how _you_ are. And I hope that you've both thought this through because I would absolutely, positively hate to see either of you get hurt. _Again_."

Before Horatio could respond, Alexx put her hand up to stall him.

"Baby, I know what you are about to say, so let me stop you right there," she said, using her patented "mom" voice. "You are a wonderful man, but you quickly become invested in people who are in trouble. Victims, family members, friends …" her voice trailed off. She sat up straight and leaned back in her chair, never breaking eye contact with her friend.

"It's an admirable trait, and it is one that makes you who you are. Now, I know Calleigh has had a rough year between being injured in the fire, Eric leaving and whatever the hell it was you two were at odds about. That's a lot for anyone to have to deal with."

Shocked by what he was hearing, Horatio stared at her. "What are you saying?"

Alexx sighed. "I'm _saying_ that I would hate it if you got involved with Calleigh simply out a misdirected urge to protect her. So now I'm asking: Are you _sure_ you know what you want from her? Because if you don't, this whole thing could end very badly."

Horatio took in her words and truly considered what she was saying. Alexx was right about several things: Both he and Calleigh had been hurt in the past, though they both had very different ways of dealing with that kind of pain. It was also true that he had felt very protective of Calleigh when she was struggling recently. She needed support and he had been determined to give it to her.

"I … I don't know, Alexx," he said, shaking his head. He paused and looked out the window, remembering the swell of emotion he had felt the night before when he had woken up to the feel of her warm body in his arms and the smell of her perfume in the air around them. It was true that he was protective of people when they couldn't help themselves …

But with Calleigh it was different.

"I don't know … why I never saw it before … HER before," he said as he turned his face back to Alexx. "But I know now, and I can tell you that I have never been so sure of anything as I am of this: Calleigh makes me feel alive again in a way I never thought possible. I'm happy with her, more than I ever thought I could be."

A smile spread across his face as he watched Alexx's eyebrows rise higher and higher.

"I want her to be as happy as she makes me. I'm … I'm _in love_ with her, Alexx."

After a brief silence, the doctor reached over and took Horatio's hand.

"Well, it is hard to argue with that," she said, a knowing grin forming on her face. "Now, let's see about getting you out of here."

* * *

Calleigh dug into her pockets and pulled out a ponytail holder. Finger-combing her blonde locks, she swiftly pulled the fabric-covered elastic around her hair twice before releasing it with a sigh. From her other pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and turned it on. The display quickly lit up: **28 MISSED CALLS. NEW VOICEMAIL(S).**

"Oh boy," she whispered, filling her cheeks with air and slowly exhaling. "This isn't good."

Hitting the button to play her messages, she pressed the phone to her ear and leaned against the wall. She stood that way, unmoving as she listened to the voices of Stetler, Ryan, Frank, Stetler again, Jesse, Stetler a few more times, Alexx, Natalia, her father, Walter, her brother, Stetler, Stetler and even more from Stetler.

"This is the last time I'm calling Detective Duquesne," his angry voice reprimanded her. "We need to talk ASAP. You are a witness to a crime scene and you are ignoring protocol. You are not to respond to any callouts until you meet with me. As of right now, there is an APB out for you, so I suggest you come in before I authorize the first officer who spots you to drag you into my office … in handcuffs if necessary."

Calleigh rubbed her eyes. That last voicemail had been made around 3 a.m. She had received another call from Ryan about a half-hour ago, but he didn't leave a message.

She kicked herself for not calling and checking in with the rest of the team. Listening to their messages, there was no doubt they were worried about her. However, if she had called in, it would have put them in Stetler's crosshairs and she didn't want to involve them in any IAB fallout that was about to come down on her head.

"You okay, Calleigh?"

Calleigh turned her head to see Kyle approach, three steaming cups of coffee in his hand.

"I forgot to ask how you take it so I brought a little of each," he said as he handed her a Styrofoam cup, a packet of sugar and a packet of creamer.

She smiled gratefully at the young man, and opened the packet of sugar, dumping into the dark brown liquid.

"Thank you Kyle," she said softly. "I have a feeling I'm definitely going to need this today."

Kyle watched Calleigh take a slow sip of her drink. Even though they both had slept, she still looked very tired … and sad. He took a drink of his own coffee and leaned against the wall next to her.

"I think Dad is chomping at the bit to get out of here," he said. "If the doctor doesn't release him soon, he may arrest her."

Calleigh chuckled. "Oh, I don't know about that," she laughed. "He and Alexx go way back. She can hold her own with him."

"Kind of like you, huh?" Kyle replied as he took another drink. "How long have you and Dad worked together?"

Calleigh looked down, remembering that infamous day so many years ago with a distinct fondness.

"Since late '97," she said, her eyes fixated on her coffee. "It's been a long journey for both of us … but I'm very glad to be on it with him."

Kyle glanced at her and then looked away. He debated asking her if she was, in fact, romantically involved with his father, but then thought the better of it.

"_That's a talk I should have with Dad first,"_ he thought, recalling the way he found them the night before.

They sipped their coffees in comfortable silence while they waited for Alexx to finish examining Horatio. Kyle quickly finished his drink and threw the cup away.

"I was thinking about interning with the M.E.'s office again," he said as he stretched his arms above his head. "Dad said Dr. Lohman is a smart guy. Do you think I would have a shot?"

Calleigh smiled, thinking back to a conversation that taken place many months ago.

"Horatio told me you were thinking about a career in medicine," she said. "Tom is a good guy. A bit quirky, but definitely a good guy. And I understand he's an excellent teacher. I'd be happy to put in a good word for you, if you want."

"Thanks. I'd really appreciate it."

"It'd be nice to have you back at work."

Kyle looked around for a moment, then held the remaining coffee out at Calleigh.

"Can you hold Dad's coffee?" he asked. "I need to … uh …"

Calleigh glanced over at the nearby men's restroom and grinned.

"Sure thing," she said as she took the cup.

As Kyle walked away, Calleigh opened the door to Horatio's room gently so as not to spill the hot coffee in her hands. The drape was still pulled, and she wondered if Alexx was finished with her examination yet.

She was about to announce her presence when she heard Alexx talking.

"I'm _saying_ that I would hate it if you got involved with Calleigh simply out a misdirected urge to protect her. So now I'm asking: Are you _sure_ you know what you want from her? Because if you don't, this whole thing could end very badly."

Calleigh stopped cold at Alexx's words. It didn't take a rocket scientist to understand what the subject of conversation was, and Calleigh held her breath, weighing the magnitude of the posed question. The sound of her heartbeat thrumming in her ears almost drowned out Horatio's soft response.

Almost.

"I … I don't know, Alexx."

Confusion flooded her mind and heart. Stunned, Calleigh waited for him to say something – anything – that would make up for his previous statement.

But she was met with silence.

She backed out the room quietly. When she was safely on the other side of the door, she leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Dropping the coffee onto the floor under her, she wrapped her arms around her midsection. Hurt and disappointment battled for supremacy in her mind as she felt her heart shatter into little pieces.

Just a short time ago, they were asleep in each other's embrace. She could still feel the warmth of his lips on hers from their kiss the night before.

She couldn't understand what had suddenly changed or why it had, but she knew all to well what would happen next.

This was a place she had been far too many times: Peter, Jake, Eric …

"_I am so stupid," _she berated herself, the familiar feeling of abandonment taking root deep within her. _"I should have known. Why do I keep doing this to myself?"_

Struggling to maintain control, she took a few deep breaths. Amid the screaming questions from her inner voice, she became cognizant of the sound of a ringing cell phone.

Working purely on autopilot, Calleigh took her phone out, holding it to her ear.

"Duquesne," she said, her voice flat and hollow.

"Finally Detective," Rick Stetler's deep and angry voice growled through the phone. "I don't know where you are, where you've been or what you're doing, but if you are not in MY office in the next half hour, you can consider yourself suspended without pay pending an internal review. Do I make myself clear?"

At any other time, Calleigh would have told Stetler to shove his threats where the sun didn't shine. Now, however, she couldn't find the motivation to fight with him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryan approach.

"Crystal clear," she said before ending the call.

Pushing away from the wall, Calleigh turned and started walking toward her alarmed co-worker.

"Calleigh, where the hell have you-"

She walked past him without so much as a glance back.

"I have to go deal with IAB," she said loudly. "Can you give Lieutenant Caine a ride?"

"Wait a minute," he called out. "I need to talk to you."

Ignoring his plea, Calleigh rounded the corner and was gone. Bewildered and torn between following her and doing as she asked, Ryan finally opened the door to Horatio's room. He stepped in just as Alexx pulled the ceiling drape back.

"Well, hey there Sugar," she greeted him warmly. "What are you doing here?"

Horatio finished buttoning his shirt and looked up at his CSI. Ryan looked perplexed and smiled awkwardly at Alexx. Before he could respond, Kyle re-entered the room.

"Where'd Calleigh go?" the young man asked as he looked around. "She was here a minute ago. Why is there coffee all over the floor out there?"

Ryan put his hands in his pockets and looked at his boss. "Uh, she just left. She asked me to give you a ride, H."

Horatio and Alexx exchanged looks of confusion. Standing up, Horatio looked at his son and then back at his subordinate, his blue eyes narrowing in concern.

"She left?" he asked. "Where did she go?"

"Headquarters," Ryan responded with worry. "She said she had to deal with IAB. She was pretty upset."

Horatio frowned, wondering what had happened in the short amount of time that they had been apart. He picked up his suit coat and shrugged it on.

"H, I think we should go after her," Ryan urged. "She shouldn't go before IAB alone."

Horatio took his sunglasses out of his coat pocket.

"I would agree, Mr. Wolfe," he said, sliding the glasses on his face. "Let's go."

* * *

**I hated the way the show took out Rick Stetler so I will definitely have my way with him. ;)**

**Thanks so much to my reviewers. You guys are so awesome. You don't know how much you really motivate me. :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 11**

He had a feeling his day was going to be very long.

Alexx had given him some ibuprofen for the minor, residual pain in his head. In addition, she volunteered to take Kyle back to his dorm since the university was on her way home. Horatio had gratefully thanked her for both gestures and promised to call his son later as he and Ryan left the hospital.

Ryan drove as he focused his attention on the portable DVD player in his lap. The footage he saw sickened him, yet he memorized every movement, every muzzle flash, and every frame of the courtroom security video. He watched a spray of blood erupt from the neck of a deputy as he saved the life of a man he had never even met.

He said a silent prayer for the young man, thanking him for his courageous sacrifice and hoping that he was at peace.

Horatio's eyes flicked down. Kramer's dried blood was less visible on his dark pants, but the stain on his shirt could be seen quite clearly. Alexx had offered to lend him a pair of scrubs in lieu of the damaged clothes, but he had declined. Horatio knew better than anybody that risk was part of the job, but that didn't ease the guilt he felt at the fact that he had awoken to see the sun shine once more while his brave Samaritan was lying in a cold, dark freezer – still for all eternity.

While he felt strange about putting the blood-soaked clothes back on, he reasoned it would only be for a short time. He had another suit in his office, so he would only have to tolerate the discomfort during the ride to CSI.

That was until Calleigh decided to take on IAB alone. Now, the only thing that mattered to him was getting to her before she said or did something that could end her career. He still didn't understand what had caused her to hightail it out of the hospital without so much as a goodbye. He was worried, and that fear wouldn't be assuaged until he was able to talk to her.

Ryan tried calling her on her phone, but like so many times in the last 24 hours, all he got was her voicemail. Realizing that she wasn't going to talk to either of them, Horatio had no other choice for the time being than to refocus his attention back to the footage.

"Who notified Deputy Kramer's family?" he asked, rubbing the small, tender lump on the side of his head.

"Frank and Walter went to see his wife yesterday," Ryan said quietly, his eyes fixed on the road in front of them. "She has family staying with her. Her doctor has her on bed rest. She may have to stay that way for the remainder of her pregnancy."

Horatio nodded, never looking away from the screen. He planned to go visit her himself, though he knew there was little he could say that would be of comfort to the young widow. He desperately wished her child didn't have to grow up without a father. Three years ago, he would have gladly traded places with the deputy. Now, he couldn't fathom leaving Kyle alone again. And that knowledge only served to compound his guilt more.

"What about the reporter's and Houser's families?" he asked with a sigh, pausing the video and rewinding it.

"Judge Houser's wife died four years ago … Cancer," Ryan answered. "Frank got in touch with his only son, Michael. He was flying in from Vermont last night. The reporter – Charlie Malen – was divorced. His ex-wife remarried and took the kids to Minnesota. We've got people meeting her at the airport this morning. The Sun-Times is all over this like flies on crap, H. They've got reporters staked out at the lab, at HQ, the State Attorney's Office … they're following anyone with a badge and hammering them with questions. They're blaming MDPD for the shooting."

"That's to be expected, they lost one of their own," Horatio murmured. "They have their way of doing things just like we have ours. We can't let it distract us from our jobs."

Ryan sighed. "I know. It's easier said than done though. Especially when their way of doing things puts us in the national spotlight. That kind of exposure is … unnerving."

"I understand, but we need to stay focused. The families of the dead deserve closure," Horatio glanced up at Ryan over the top of his sunglasses. "We still need to establish why Jenna acted out the way she did. Her behavior was way beyond teenage angst. Then there is the question of the gun. How does a 16-year-old girl with limited upper body strength get a firearm off a police officer when she is literally surrounded by cops?"

"Jesse and Natalia have been working on that," Ryan responded as he stopped at a red light. "They were going to meet with the officers that were in the courtroom today."

"Okay," Horatio murmured. "Once we get Calleigh squared away with IAB, I want to meet with the team and go over what we evidence we have that is concrete and establish where the holes are. There may be nothing left to prosecute, but we still need to be thorough."

He again returned his attention to the DVD player. He started the video from the beginning of the proceedings and watched as he and Calleigh sat down. The hint of a smile formed on his lips as he saw her lean over to him. Though her mouth was moving, there was no audio on the disc. It didn't matter, however. He remembered her words with absolute clarity:

"_Blame the three shots of espresso. All that caffeine makes me a little unpredictable."_

"I'll keep that in mind," he whispered, mimicking the words of his onscreen image.

"Did you say something, H?" Ryan asked, glancing sideways at his boss.

Horatio shook his head and continued watching the footage. "Just thinking out loud, Mr. Wolfe."

As he watched the footage again, he kept his eyes on Calleigh's familiar form. He saw them both stand … Calleigh drawing her weapon then … nothing. She was a statue: Frozen and unmoving. Even in the midst of all that anarchy, Calleigh stood stock still, never even flinching when Jenna was finally brought down.

It was the first time he had ever seen Calleigh Duquesne hesitate when it counted.

Stopping the disc and closing the lid to the player, Horatio rubbed his hand over his face and looked out the window.

"_What made her freeze?"_ he wondered, now more worried for her than he had been earlier. He turned and looked at Ryan.

"Has anyone else seen this footage yet?"

Ryan shook his head. "I don't think so. That's the master and it's been in my possession since we arrived on the scene yesterday. There are no copies of it. There is a 45-minute window between the incident and my acquisition of the disc, but the chief courthouse deputy said no one had been in the room where they keep the feed monitors and recorders that morning. I would think if someone else had accessed it, it would be all over television or the Internet by now."

Horatio nodded. "What about IAB? Have they come looking for it yet?"

Ryan smirked. "They haven't seen it yet. They may have come looking, but I didn't exactly make myself overly available to them."

"Okay," Horatio responded. "I'm going to keep this with me for now. If anyone gives you a hard time about it, send them to me. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

Ryan turned into the parking lot outside of the MDPD administration building and pulled into the empty stall next to Calleigh's Hummer.

"She hasn't been here too long," Ryan said as he opened his door and hopped out. "We left right after she did."

Horatio slammed the door shut and quickly started walking toward the entrance. "It doesn't matter. Stetler only needs a few minutes to end someone's career."

The two men walked in unison through the front doors and turned down the main corridor to the IAB offices. The administration building housed the Office of the Chief of Police, the Public and Community Affairs Bureau and the Internal Affairs Bureau. Compared to CSI and their district headquarters, the administration building was smaller, but much grander with dark interior accents and polished mahogany furniture. Ryan rolled his eyes as he saw an expensive painting mounted on the wall behind the receptionist's desk.

"_Taxpayers dollars at work,"_ he thought sarcastically.

Horatio on the other hand was focused on one thing and one thing only: Getting to Calleigh before Stetler got his hooks into her.

Walking quickly, they pushed their way through the glass double doors that led to the IAB offices. Passing a harried-looking, young brunette woman behind the receptionist's desk, the two men veered down a long corridor of officers, clearly intent on their destination.

"Excuse me gentlemen," the receptionist called out as she rounded her desk and began following them. Both Horatio and Ryan ignored her however, and kept walking.

"Excuse me? Just where do you two think you are going?" the woman's voice was high-pitched and nasally. "You can't just barge in here like-"

"We're going to see Lieutenant Stetler, ma'am," Horatio said as he continued walking, stopping as they came to a large dark door. The words: "Lt. Richard Stetler" engraved on the gold nameplate.

The young woman yelled in annoyance as Horatio reached for the doorknob.

"Wait, wait! Is the lieutenant expecting you?"

Horatio and Ryan both smirked as Horatio opened the door in defiance. Walking into the office, the first thing Horatio saw was the surprised look on Stetler's face. The second was Calleigh. She was sitting on the edge of her chair with her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Like Stetler, she had turned her head when he entered, but just as quickly, she looked away, her mouth turned in a frown.

When she lifted a trembling hand to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, Horatio knew she was in trouble. He hoped he wasn't too late.

Taking his sunglasses off, he put his hands on his hips and glared at the IAB officer.

"If Lieutenant Stetler wasn't expecting me, ma'am, he should have been," he growled, turning his attention to the suited man behind the desk. "You're not seriously interviewing a member of MY team without notifying me about it first, are you Rick?"

Stetler stood and straightened out his light tan suit coat as Ryan and the receptionist also entered the room. He motioned to the receptionist, who threw her hands up in the air and walked out of the room, shutting the door loudly behind her. Folding his arms across his chest, Stetler glowered back at Horatio.

"Actually, I was in the process of reprimanding her for her serious failure to obey protocol by disregarding the numerous attempts I made to contact her following yesterday's incident," he seethed. "But now that you mention it, yes, Detective Duquesne is also in trouble for not only fleeing an active crime scene but also for compromising evidence from that same scene."

Calleigh's head shot up at Stetler's words, her green eyes narrowed in anger.

"What do you mean compromising evidence?" she yelled. "What evidence? I didn't touch anything at that scene!"

Horatio walked to Stetler's desk, standing between the IAB officer and Calleigh while Ryan moved to Calleigh's side.

Stetler chuckled and shook his head.

"Perhaps I gave you too much credit as a CSI, Duquesne," he said, his tone one of amused boredom. "You may not have touched anything but something touched you. Or did you not notice that dark red blood spatter on your white shirt? You are WEARING evidence, Duquesne. When were you planning on turning that in? Or was it that you weren't planning to at all?"

Furious, Calleigh rose from her seat, but Horatio intervened before she could speak.

"Rick … _ Rick,_" the warning in his voice was low and his piercing blue eyes shot icy daggers at the man in front of him. "You don't seem to be too concerned with the blood on my clothes. If you had bothered to do your job correctly, then you would know we don't need the shirt. The whole incident was caught on video surveillance. The spatter on our clothes isn't going to tell us anything we don't already know."

"Well, Horatio, if you don't mind, I'd like to see that video for myself," Stetler rebutted.

Horatio took a step closer and put his hands on Stetler's desk. Leaning forward, he purposely invaded the other man's personal space just enough to force Stetler to take a step back.

"Actually, I DO mind. My investigation, my video, MY evidence. But I'll make sure you get copies of the reports when I'm finished."

Stetler shook his head.

"No, not good enough," he said angrily, jabbing at his desk with his finger. "I want a copy of that footage on my desk, ASAP."

Horatio stood up straight and smirked. "Calleigh," he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on Stetler. "When Lieutenant Stetler started questioning you, at any time did he ask you if you wanted union representation?"

Calleigh crossed her arms over her chest. "No. No, he certainly did not."

"Did he ask you if you wanted your supervisor present?"

"Not at all."

Horatio watched as Stetler huffed and looked away. Knowing he had him where he wanted him, Horatio cleared his throat.

"Calleigh, Ryan, would you two please wait outside for me?"

"Wait just a damn minute," Stetler erupted, quickly walking around his desk. "I'm not done with Detective Duquesne yet!"

Horatio turned his head slightly, his eyes briefly meeting Calleigh's. He tried to convey some kind of subtle support, but was disappointed when she looked away.

"Detectives," he repeated, turning to face Stetler. "Outside please?"

Ryan walked to the door and opened it, waiting for Calleigh to walk through. Calleigh gave him a small smile as he followed her out, closing the door behind them.

When they were finally alone, Stetler took a daring step toward Horatio.

"This isn't over," he spat. "She deliberately broke policy."

Horatio chuckled mirthlessly.

"That's funny, Rick; you talking about policy. But if you really want to continue this, I have a better idea: Why don't we take it to the chief? I'm sure he would be interested to know that IAB was interrogating an officer without the knowledge or permission of her supervisor, or without a union representative present. That's the kind of thing those union lawyers love, Rick. And we all know how much the administration loves dealing with lawsuits involving the union. Those are always so … public."

Horatio took a step forward, throwing Stetler's attempt at intimidation back in his face.

"If you want to roll the dice on that, be my guest," Horatio snarled. "But you and I both know how it will end. Why don't you do yourself a favor and walk away while you still have your gold shield."

Stetler ground his lower jaw. If Horatio didn't know any better, he was sure that Stetler wanted to hit him.

"_Let him try,"_ he thought, almost hoping for the opportunity to not only settle this score, but one from many years past.

To his disappointment, however, Stetler backed down and turned away from Horatio. Returning to his desk, he sat, giving Horatio a look of pure disdain.

"We're not done, not by a long shot, Caine," he hissed.

Horatio nodded.

"Of that, I have no doubt. But let me give you some advice Rick," he glared hard at the other man, "if you want to get me, you come TO me. The next time you come after a member of my team like this, you'll regret it."

Stetler leaned back in his chair and smirked.

"That's not a threat, is it?"

Horatio put his sunglasses on and walked to the door.

"No," he said as he opened it. "That's a guarantee."

With that he stepped out, closing the door smoothly behind him.

* * *

"What do you think they are talking about in there?"

Ryan shuffled his feet while Calleigh paced back and forth down the hallway. She stopped and looked at him for a moment before shaking her head.

"I have my theories," she said tiredly. "None of them are good."

Ryan looked back down the hall, and then returned his attention to the burgundy carpet beneath him. He could feel the tension and discontent radiating off Calleigh. His curiosity finally getting the better of him, he sighed loudly.

"Hey Cal, why did you take off so abruptly this morning?"

Calleigh stopped pacing for a second and glanced at him. "Stetler called and said I had a half hour to meet him," she explained flippantly. "I was in a hurry."

Ryan put his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the wall.

"Was Stetler mad when you talked to him?"

"Isn't he usually?"

"Then I don't understand."

Calleigh stopped walking and looked at Ryan. She flipped her hair over her shoulders and narrowed her green eyes at him.

"What is there to understand?" she asked, her aggression beginning to show.

Ryan shrugged. "Why you didn't tell H? I mean, I'd think he would want to know if IAB was calling one of his people to the carpet. He's clearly pissed at Stetler for going around him, but I think he's more upset that you came in here without filling him in first."

Calleigh sighed and joined Ryan against the wall.

"He was still in with Alexx," she said flatly as she leaned her head back. "I needed to get going and I didn't know how much longer he would be. It was my problem, he didn't need to be bothered with it."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Calleigh staring ahead of her. It was logical that she was still having troubles with the events of the previous day, and he rationalized that her behavior could be explained by the residual trauma from the shooting.

But that didn't seem to fit with who Calleigh was.

"Forgive me, but I think that's bullshit," he said softly, trying not to alienate her. "If it were any of us in that position, you would demand that we talk to Horatio first. You would never let us go before IAB without backup. So, what I can't figure out is why you didn't go to H before coming in here? I mean, you trust him, right? It doesn't make sense to me that you wouldn't tell him what was going down."

Taking aback by Ryan's insight, she gaped at him. When he turned to look at her, however, there was no anger, no bitterness and no retribution in his face. Instead, she found what she had not expected – compassion. At that moment, even a little compassion went a long way with her.

Her emotions were a jumble: She was still conflicted about what she had heard in Horatio's hospital room earlier. Part of her rebuked herself for not being more guarded with her heart. The other part chastised her for running from the situation like a scared little girl.

Rationally, she knew there could be more to what Alexx and Horatio were discussing than she knew. But she was very tired – both physically and emotionally – and she didn't know if she could handle any more disappointment right now.

She also knew with absolute certainty Horatio was at that moment facing off with Stetler in order to save her job. Going to Stetler without informing Horatio was not her best decision: Relationship or not, he was still her boss. She knew she had put him in a very awkward position. Though she was upset, she genuinely regretted letting her personal feelings interfere with their work.

She knew she needed to talk with Horatio, but at the same time, all she wanted to do was take a shower and sleep until winter. She also knew that Ryan was not the only highly astute person she worked closely with. She needed to rein in her emotions before everyone else began to wonder if she had gone off her nut. She was cognizant of the fact that Ryan was worried about her, but she obviously couldn't tell him the whole truth about the situation.

She knew she would have to put more effort into her deflection. Lightly nudging his arm with hers, she gave him a small smile.

"I trained you far too well," she murmured.

The sound of Stetler's door opening instantly captured both of their attention. Calleigh watched as Horatio stood in the doorway, his back to her.

"That's a guarantee," he said sternly to Stetler as he entered the hallway and shut the door. Ryan looked at Calleigh and they both fell into step behind Horatio, who continued walking briskly down the hall.

"Is everything okay, H?" he asked as the trio passed the receptionist.

Horatio nodded as he held the glass door open for Calleigh. "No worries Mr. Wolfe, Calleigh."

Calleigh couldn't help but wonder what Horatio had said – or even did – to get her out of that jam. The urge to express her gratitude, however, was quickly squashed by her memory:

"_I … I don't know, Alexx."_

His words still stung. She wanted to tell him that she had heard what he had said, and that she was confused and hurt by it. She also wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Never before had she been so conflicted over one person. He had become her fantasy, hero and destroyer all in such a short amount of time.

She was aware that he was walking steadily next to her.

"_He's protecting me, even as he's hurting me,"_ she thought with a sigh.

Horatio turned his head slightly, but said nothing until they were all out of the building. As they neared the Hummers, he stopped, put his hands on his hips and faced his two CSIs.

"Ryan, head back to the lab and tell the team I want to meet with everyone in an hour about the Landon shooting," he said, looking over his sunglasses at the younger man, before turning to Calleigh.

"Calleigh, I would like you to ride back with me, please."

She considered declining and riding back with Ryan, but she didn't want to make an issue out of it in front of her co-worker. She acquiesced and fished the keys out of her pocket. She held them up and dropped them into his hand, deliberately avoiding physical contact with him.

As Ryan started up his vehicle and pulled out of the parking lot, Horatio removed his sunglasses. In his eyes, she saw the same gamut of emotions that she herself was experiencing: Hurt, confusion and fear. He looked away for a second before turning back to her.

"Would you please tell me what's going on?" he asked with a gentle sternness. "I'm a little confused about what's happening here."

"What's to be confused about?" Calleigh responded. "You were the one who booted Ryan and I from the room."

Horatio's expression hardened slightly by her rebuff at his question.

"I'm not talking about what happened in _there_," his voice reflected more force. "I'm talking about the hospital. Why did you leave so suddenly? Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

Calleigh shrugged in a vain attempt to be nonchalant.

"Stetler demanded my presence," she said, folding her arms over her chest. "Everything was under control. I can take care of myself, you know. You didn't need to give into some _'misdirected urge'_ to protect me."

She watched Horatio as the full impact of her words hit him, his eyes sparking with recognition. Just as quickly, however, his mood darkened and his body tensed. His upper lip curled slightly as he looked away and nodded, clutching his glasses tightly.

She knew he was pissed off, and despite her own resolve, she couldn't help but be a little intimidated by it.

Finally, he put his sunglasses on, turned and walked to the Hummer.

Opening the door and stepping in, he looked over his glasses at her. His silent message was clear: Get in the car.

She glared back at him before finally going to the large vehicle and getting in. Once inside, she snapped her seatbelt on as he turned the engine over and pulled out of the parking lot. They drove in tense silence for several minutes before Horatio jerked the car off the main street and brought the Hummer to a stop at a nearby park.

Surprised and slightly confused about what was going on, Calleigh watched Horatio take his sunglasses off and turn to face her. He was still angry, but there was something far more intimidating lurking underneath his discontent.

"How much did you hear?" he asked, his eyes flashing, his voice low and dangerous.

Refusing to back down under his scrutiny, Calleigh stared right back at him.

"_If he wants to hash this out now, so be it,"_ she thought.

"I heard enough," she spat back. "You 'don't know,' right? Well, if you don't know what you want from me or why you want to be with me, you should at least be man enough to tell me to my face. Seriously, own up to it. I was going through a shitty time, so you thought you'd 'rescue' me from myself. The thing is, I didn't _need_ to be rescued. I sure as hell didn't _want_ to be rescued. I definitely don't need you confusing compassion for romance. You may not know what you want, but I do. And I know I don't want to be someone's pity-fuck."

As soon as the last sentence left her mouth, she regretted them. Yes, she was mad, but she didn't truly believe that was what she was to him.

Still, Horatio sat there silently, taking her verbal onslaught. When she spoke those final few words, his eyes darkened to an unearthly color. Taking as much of a calming breath as possible, he exhaled and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Clearly, you did NOT hear everything, then," he growled at her. "And instead of talking to me about it, you ran scared. You tell me that you want to be with me, but you don't want to trust me or at least give me the benefit of the doubt? Tell me, Calleigh, how _exactly_ are we supposed to be together if we're not _in this_ together? Since you're so sure that my feelings for you are 'misdirected,' why don't you tell me what you want from me?"

Furious, Calleigh furrowed her brow and clenched her hands tightly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and the anger between the two of them was quickly spinning out of control. She ran her hands over her face in frustration.

Though the Hummer was still on and the air conditioner was running, angry heat filled the inside of the vehicle. Their faces red and their eyes blazing, both Horatio and Calleigh stared each other down. Finally Calleigh answered his question:

"What do I want from you? I want the truth, damn it! Why are you REALLY with me?"

With hands that trembled with frustration, Horatio reached up and firmly clasped the sides of Calleigh's face, leaning in until his own face was only a few inches away.

"I'm not with you because I pity you," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes locked on hers. "I'm WITH you because I'm in love with you. That's what I told Alexx. That's what I _wanted_ to tell you."

He sighed and released her face, moving away from her.

"I love you, Calleigh," he said softly, the anger in his eyes quickly giving way to hurt. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. It seems like it happened so fast and, uh, I … I didn't want you to feel like I was rushing you."

His confession ripped through her. A small sadistic part of her wanted to pretend that it was a cruel joke, but that negative voice was quickly squashed by her rational self. Wide-eyed, she struggled with the turn of events.

"_Oh my God,"_ her mind raced. _"Horatio loves me. What the hell do I do now?"_

Before she could say anything in response, Horatio replaced his sunglasses and put the Hummer back into drive.

"We need to get back to work," he murmured. "I … I can't talk about this anymore right now."

* * *

**So, what does everyone think? *Shameless solicitation of reviews inserted here.***

**Things will be getting very ... M-rated ... soon. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 12**

There were long days, and there were LONG days.

Horatio and the team double-checked every single piece of evidence they had from both the Dean Landon murder and the courthouse melee. Ryan and Natalia went over ever frame of the courthouse surveillance. Tom called in extra hands to help perform the most thorough autopsies in the history of forensic pathology on the bodies from the courthouse. Calleigh, Walter and Jesse ran the ballistics results three-times. Frank not only interviewed and then re-interviewed the Landons' friends and neighbors, but he pulled rank and put some other detectives on everyone that left that courtroom alive.

And Horatio bounced back and forth between them all, working around the clock to put the pieces of the tragic puzzle together. There were people affected by this case who needed closure.

He was one of them.

The evidence, witness reports and video surveillance cleared Officer Awkin in Jenna's shooting. The only thing they had that was concrete was Jenna's gun. Officer Patrick Connelly eventually came forward to IAB – with appropriate union representation – and admitted that his gun was not buckled into the holster properly when Jenna grabbed it off him. The rookie was shaken by the whole experience, and was put on administrative duty until the case was cleared and the incident resolved to his superiors' satisfactions.

Plans for Deputy Kramer's funeral were being made, the costs covered by the Dade County Sheriff's Office. He had already received several e-mails about the date, times, protocol and traffic routes for the police processional. The family had requested a private viewing to be held the night before the funeral. Perhaps that was for the best. The tragedy coupled with the enormous stress of the situation would undoubtedly be too much for Kramer's widow. He was relieved her family was keeping a close watch of her, though it did little for his own peace of mind …

**Hours before**

_Horatio sighed as he stood in front of the Spanish mission-style home in Coconut Grove. There were three cars parked in the wide driveway. The walkway from the sidewalk up to the house was lined with brightly colored flowers and pretty landscaping rocks. A wooden heart-shaped sign on the front door greeted visitors with a warm "Welcome." _

_The faint aura of happiness the couple who lived there shared hung like a ghost underneath the death and sadness that had fallen over the residence._

_Horatio couldn't help the regret that pulled at his soul. The man of the house would never again walk through the doors of his beautiful home, kiss his wife in greeting and enjoy the good things life have brought him. He would never know the touch of his unborn child's hand._

_Shaking himself out of his thoughts Horatio walked to the door. _

_Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. With sunglasses in hand, he rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, a man who was probably no older than Horatio slowly opened the door. Though they may have been close in age, the man was a good foot taller than the Lieutenant, with salt-and-pepper hair and blue eyes that were red and puffy. He looked like he had been through hell, the only hell that accompanies losing one's child._

_Horatio prayed he would never know that hell, and immediately felt guilty for still being able to talk with his son. He cleared his throat and met the man's eyes._

"_Sir, I'm very sorry to bother you at this … this terrible time. My name is Lt. Horatio Caine. I'm with M.D.P.D."_

_The other man closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled. _

"_I know who you are Lieutenant," he said, his voice soft and gruff. "You're one of the top brass at the crime lab. I'm Dan Kramer. Joe was my son. I retired from the county three years ago. I, um, worked in the maintenance shop. I did repair work on the lab's vehicles."_

_Horatio searched his mind for a time when he would have ever seen the man, but came up empty. It was to be expected, he rarely went to the shop himself. That fact, however, did not ease his conscience. This man's son died protecting him, and he couldn't remember having ever acknowledged him. Again, Kyle's face appeared in Horatio's mind._

"_Sir, I know how difficult this time is for you," he said fighting to get the words out over the lump forming in his throat. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss." _

_Dan Kramer nodded and looked away._

"_They told me Joe died a hero … that he was shot while pushing someone else out of the way," his voice cracked slightly and he grimaced. "That was who Joey was. He always thought of the other guy before himself. He loved his … his job … so much."_

_Horatio shifted and exhaled softly. "Your son was a hero, Mr. Kramer. I owe him my life."_

_The other man turned his face back to Horatio, clearly unaware of that detail of his son's death. _

"_Oh."_

_Dan's eyes seemed to lock in on him, as if he was truly seeing the redhead for the first time. He stared at Horatio for a few beats, before he leaned against the doorframe._

"_Do you have any children Lieutenant?"_

_Horatio maintained eye contact with the man and nodded. "Yes sir," he replied softly. "I have a son."_

_Dan chewed on his lower lip for a minute and looked away. When a tear streaked down the tall man's face, Horatio wanted nothing more than bring his son back to life so he could return to his mourning father._

_It was yet another thing in life that was beyond his control. Nothing made it easier to accept that._

"_Did you know, Lieutenant, that on the day he graduated from the academy, Joe said he wanted me to be proud of him," Dan stopped and drew in a breath, the tragedy taking a tremendous toll on his emotions. "And I … I told him that I would always, ALWAYS, be proud of him. No matter what. You see, I didn't agree with my son's decision to become a cop. Seeing the shape of some of the cars that came into my shop: The bullet holes, the blood stains … I couldn't imagine my only son putting his life on the line everyday. But Joe was his own man, and a good one at that. He wanted to help others. He wanted to make a difference in this world. And now, now the world as I know it will never be the same. But one thing I do know, for the short time my … my Joey was here, he made the world a better place. And I'll always thank God for bringing him into my life. Always."_

_Taking a step closer to Horatio, Dan Kramer looked down at him._

"_Will you do me a favor, Lieutenant? To honor Joey's memory?"_

_Horatio tilted his head to the side and nodded. "Of course, Mr. Kramer."_

_Dan nodded and closed his eyes. "I don't know how your relationship is with your son, but don't ever let a day go by without telling him how much he means to you. Because you have no idea how hard it is when you can't anymore."_

Horatio had called Kyle the second he returned to his Hummer. Unfortunately, his son's phone went directly to voicemail. Horatio left a message to call him when he got a chance, and headed back to the lab.

It was just another reminder that life was short and fragile.

Now he sat at his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stared at the medical examiner's report lying in front of him. It had taken Horatio some time to get used to working with Tom, but he found the doctor to be extremely professional, if not a little quirky. In addition, the man was always completely thorough. Which is why, despite the alarming context of his findings, Horatio was not prone to question them.

Picking up his phone, he called the M.E.'s cell phone. When Tom answered, Horatio was quick and to the point.

"Doctor, I've just finished reading your report on Jenna Landon's autopsy …"

On the other end of the line, Tom Lohman cut the Lieutenant's next sentence off.

"I know what you are going to say, sir, I can hardly get my own head around it, but such a thing is not without precedent. I found several old and healed fractures in the proximal phalanges and metacarpals of the girl's hands. Injuries such as these are consistent with one's suffered by boxers or athletes who compete in hand combat sports like ultimate fighting or martial arts. It speaks to a history of fighting – a long history. I'd say some of those fractures go back at least five or six years by the way the bone and cartilage has healed. There are even signs of wear and tear on her flexor tendon sheaths around her knuckles. This young lady was very much a fighter."

Horatio sighed, knowing the implication of the evidence. Jenna's display of rage and violence toward Gwen at the courthouse spoke to a volatile relationship between mother and daughter. But after the day he had had, he couldn't ponder the evidence any further. He glanced at his computer and noted the clock in the top right corner of the screen flashed 10:17 p.m. Thanking Tom and apologizing for calling at such a late hour, he rubbed his face and hung up the phone.

He hadn't felt this tired since Eric was hospitalized. His fatigue was compounded by a tremendous headache. He could hear Alexx's voice scolding him for not taking better care of himself.

Tomorrow, he and his team would attend a memorial service for Emil Houser before the judge's son took his body back to his home state of Vermont to be buried alongside the rest of his family. Many were expected to attend, ranging from U.S. Congressmen to the courthouse janitors. Though the press was still heavy on the incident, no one could dispute the man had been a good judge and by all accounts led an honest life dedicated to preserving justice. Homage needed to be paid.

The bodies of Gwen, Dean and Jenna Landon were still in the morgue, awaiting transport to a crematorium. Dean had no surviving family members so request to cremate had been made by Gwen's estranged sister Kate, an attorney from Charleston who was driving down to collect the ashes. What she planned to do with them, Horatio did not know. He hoped that in death, the three members of the Landon family finally found some peace from the violent lives they led.

To Horatio's chagrin, the case still felt unsolved, but when it came down to it, there was nothing left to investigate. No more evidence to analyze. A series of heinous crimes connected by nothing more than family ties were – in the long run – matters of crazed happenstance. Unless some new evidence came to light, the case was officially closed.

He knew sometimes that was the way things worked out. More often than not, the simplest explanation – no matter how horrific or evil – was typically the correct one. What left him unsettled was the senseless tragedy of it all: Crimes that could have prevented and deaths that should have been avoided.

Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and tried to let the day go. Another problem was that when he wasn't focusing all of his attention on the case, thoughts of Calleigh and their blowout that morning filled his head.

When they had returned to the lab, they had spoken briefly about the case, both using work as their avoidance tactic of choice. While he regretted their argument, he didn't regret revealing his feelings to her. Though he wished he had been able to tell her what was in his heart in a less angry situation, the truth was he needed her to know how he felt.

He had been honest with her, now the ball was in her court. It wasn't a matter of pride as much as it was a matter of fact: There was really nothing more he could say. The bottom line was that if she wanted to talk, she would have to come to him.

Considering the time, Horatio reasoned that it was unlikely he would see her tonight.

He opened his eyes and sat up straight. Reaching over, he flicked off the light on his desk and closed Jenna's file. Stifling a yawn, he stood and removed his jacket from the back of his chair. Shrugging the suit coat onto his shoulders, he left the case and the day's events behind him and headed for home with the hope that some peace would come to him with a few hours of sleep.

* * *

"_This could be a supremely bad idea,"_ Calleigh thought to herself as she tapped her fingers against her steering wheel.

She had spent the better part of her day focused on the Landon case, trying desperately not the think about the angry exchange with Horatio that had taken place that morning. But once she was in the confines of her own solitude, she could not stop the unbidden memory of his words …

"_I'm WITH you because I'm in love with you. That's what I told Alexx. That's what I wanted to tell you."_

Part of her did not want to believe what Horatio had said. She had been in similar places before, on the receiving end of declarations of admiration and affection, but the end result had always been the same: Her alone, tending a broken heart with her own special brand of resolve and sad acceptance.

While she knew for certain what was in her own heart concerning her handsome Lieutenant, the memories of disappointments past refused to be ignored. The day before she thought she was ready to open herself up to him. The idea of it made her nervous, but in a thrilling way. She was excited about this new turn of events in her life.

But he had been right: At the first sign of trouble in their relationship, she had run scared, and that made her question her own intentions. What she thought was instinct, turned out to be plain old paranoia. And she fell for it hook, line and sinker.

She sighed again and looked at the clock on the dashboard: 11:15 p.m.

When she left the lab hours earlier, Calleigh had been exhausted. All she wanted to do was go home, take a hot shower and go to sleep. The first two objectives were accomplished easily. The third was more difficult than she had been prepared for.

The problem being the obvious lack of appeal sleeping solitary held for her. She had spent the previous night in the warm, strong arms of the man she loved: Protected from life and all its hidden monsters. It had only taken one time and she was already addicted.

There were many times in her life when she felt misplaced, and overtime her comfort zones became a gun range and a crime lab.

But despite the fact that they had been snuggled tightly in a small bed in a hospital room where his son slept less than ten feet away from them, Calleigh finally felt like she was where she was supposed to be. Though she didn't know at the time that Horatio was, in fact, in love with her, she knew in her heart that home was wherever he was.

And that revelation inspired her insomnia. Her big empty bed seemed so cold now. So she did the only thing she could think of: Got into her car and drove.

She had only ever been to Horatio's house once: It had been the day after Marisol's death, and she had been worried about him. She was used to dealing with tragic situations – when they involved strangers. But when it came to the people who were close to her, she always felt any condolence she offered would be vastly inferior to the pain her loved one was suffering.

Both Horatio and Eric were so closed-off to the rest of the team, and Calleigh knew that was to be expected. They had been sucker-punched in the worst possible way, and she couldn't fathom the struggle they were experiencing.

On that day, after her best friend had lost his sister and her mentor had lost his wife, the only thing she could think to do was cook. She made a couple of big pans of her grandmother's old-fashioned chicken and dumplings, put together a container of salad and vegetables and baked a strawberry-rhubarb pie. To the average person it might have seemed contrite, but Calleigh's grandmother had always told her one of the best ways to tell a person you care, was to cook for them.

_"Love and compassion are the most important ingredients, in life and in cooking, no matter what the dish,"_ her grandma had said. _"Makin' 'em a good meal is a gift that comes straight from the heart, Sugar. Somethin' they'll never forget."_

When she had arrived to drop the food off, she wondered if she was overstepping some boundary of propriety. And when Eric answered the door instead of Horatio, the overwhelming relief she had felt had surprised her. The men's mourning was tangible, and she felt as if she shouldn't have been there.

She had quickly handed off the food to Eric and left without seeing or speaking to Horatio. When he thanked her for it later that week at Marisol's funeral, she merely nodded and told him "Anytime." What she had wanted to say was that she was there for him, no matter what. But time and circumstance pushed them further apart.

Now that had all changed. And she knew she needed to stop fearing the developments that had occurred.

He had still been at the office when she had left work. She had considered going up to his office to talk to him about what happened, but decided that the day had been too long and too emotional for both of them. She would allow them both space that night, but would make it a point to talk to him in the morning.

She knew now that had been a cop-out, and that fear had, once again, gotten the better of her. Seeing his car and the Hummer parked in the drive, she wondered if he was already asleep. She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone, debating on calling him rather than just showing up on his doorstep.

There was little Calleigh Duquesne was afraid of, and yet giving her heart – completely and freely - to the one person she wanted most to have it terrified her.

Sighing, she put her phone down and stared at it, as it lay quiet and motionless in the seat next to her. Looking out the car window, she watched as a light on in one of the rooms on the main floor of the two-story house came on. Horatio was clearly awake, now the rest was up to Calleigh.

"_He's already told you he loves you,"_ the determined voice in her head pushed. _"What are you going to do about it?"_

Grinding her jaw, she opened her car door and stepped out into the night.

* * *

Horatio turned on the lights in his living room and padded barefoot to the large, dark gray couch in the center of it. Though he was home, he was finding it difficult to unwind and let the day go. His unbuttoned shirt hung open and his pants hung low on his waist. He had been in the process of getting ready for bed when he decided to try reading something that wasn't related to a homicide.

He leaned back into the soft cushions of the couch and picked up the worn copy of "Shoeless Joe" on his couch. Though he had read the book numerous times, the story relaxed him. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to relax. He opened the cover and turned to the first page.

Glancing around the room, he spotted his cordless phone charging on a nearby end table. Once again, the itch flared to call Calleigh and try to make right the argument they had had earlier. Remembering the time and his previous reasons for not doing that, however, scratched that itch fairly efficiently.

He hadn't even finished reading the first page when he heard a soft knock on the door. Perplexed as to the identity of his visitor, he put his book down and stood. Instinctually, he considered getting his spare gun out of the closet near the door, but stopped where he heard her voice outside.

"Horatio? It's Calleigh."

He stared at the door for a moment, wondering what could have brought her to his home at that time of night. While he didn't want to argue anymore with her, there was something in her voice, underneath the obvious fatigue, that peaked his curiosity.

Saying nothing, he opened the door and took in the sight of her. She was wearing a gray cotton shirt and a pair of black yoga pants. Her face bore no makeup and her tousled hair hung loosely around her shoulders, still slightly damp from her shower. Even though she looked tired, he found her absolutely stunning.

"Hey," she said softly with a small smile, her green eyes twinkling.

"Hey back," he responded as he opened the door wider. "Would you like to come in?"

Calleigh suddenly felt flushed at the sight of Horatio's firm bare chest underneath his open dress shirt. She nodded, and as she stepped by him into his home, the lingering scent of his cologne caught her senses. Ten minutes ago, she was exhausted. But 10 seconds in Horatio's presence had turned all of her senses on.

"Have a seat," he said lightly as he closed the door and locked it. "Would you like something to drink? I have bottled water, tea, I think I have beer …"

Calleigh took in the warm surroundings of Horatio's house. The living room was painted in muted shades of dark blue and gray with chocolate-colored accents here and there. The tables were dark-wood; mahogany she thought, and two large, comfortable-looking recliners sat parallel to the sofa. A large bookshelf, adorned with books and picture frames, took up half of one of the room's walls. The environment was peaceful, comfortable and she felt herself relax more just at the thought of being ensconced in his home.

On the far end of the room were glass double doors that revealed a patio off the back of the house, stopping just before the edge of the beach. In the distance, she could she the moonlight dancing off the crashing waves of the ocean. There was something magically elemental about it. She found the water hypnotic and alluring, and hadn't realized that she didn't answer Horatio's previous question.

"Calleigh?" he said, concern in his sultry blue eyes. He took a step closer to her when she finally turned to look at him. Less than a foot apart, he met her gaze. "What's going on?"

Her original intent for going there had been to apologize for their fight, but the words died on her lips at the nearness of him. She didn't know what finally pushed her past her fear, but she knew had let the bad experiences of her past influence her actions for too long. She deserved to be happy. She was no longer going to be a traitor to herself.

Stepping closer to him, Calleigh put her hands possessively on his bare chest. While Calleigh's visit and behavior were completely unexpected to him, Horatio couldn't help but respond to her wanton movements. He twitched slightly at the hot feel of her hands on his skin and watched in stimulated wonder as her fingers threaded through his chest hair and over his pectoral muscles. The effect she had on him was immediate, and the room was quickly filled with a wild energy. He felt his pulse quicken and his body begin to tense madly as her hands slid up and down his torso.

Something primal awakened deep within him and he struggled to maintain control over his thoughts and actions.

Calleigh, however, threw control and caution to the wind. Unbridled, she held his darkening eyes as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders, sliding it off his arms to fall to the floor.

Pushing herself into him so that his body had full contact with hers, she slid one hand up into his thick hair while the other wrapped around his bare back. A soft groan escaped his throat as she pressed her full, warm lips against his exposed chest. Reflexively, he wrapped his arms tightly around her curvy body and pulled her further into him. He wanted badly to kiss her, to ravage the lips that were tantalizing his skin so deliciously.

"Calleigh." He whispered her name in lustful adoration and threaded his hands into her soft hair.

Hearing – and feeling – the obvious effect she was having on him incited Calleigh's own desires more. Looking up into the glowing tempest in his eyes, she licked her lips and took the plunge, trusting him completely to catch her.

"I love you," she said breathlessly, her heart pounding rapidly against his. "I love you so much it scares me. I love you and I want you so bad it is consuming me. I love you and I need to show you. Tonight. Right now. I can't wait any longer."

* * *

**Sorry guys. RL got in the way and delayed pretty much everything that wasn't work or family related. I deeply apologize for leaving you hanging for so long.**

**Is anyone still with me?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**ALERT: This chapter is VERY NC-17. Not for young eyes.**

**Chapter 13**

His eyes searched hers for any signs of hesitation as the magnitude of her words embedded themselves in his mind - forever etched into his memory. In her green depths, he saw there was no fear, no indecision and he knew they were finally there. Those three words heralded a new era, a new time for both of them. No matter what happened after that night, Horatio would always be able to recall the sultry-smoothness of Calleigh's voice whispering those life-changing words:

_I love you. _

There was no longer any fight, no bitterness over events that had already transpired. The awakening had them both in its firm grasp and Horatio was more than ready to give himself over to it. His heart thudded madly in his chest, he could feel the erratic pounding of the blood in his veins, creating a rhythm that sang her name like a tribal hymn that only he could hear. They were together; their hearts completely exposed to each other and it felt like the most sacred thing in the world.

He opened his mouth to respond, but just as quickly closed it. Nothing he could say would come close to being adequate; both knowing there was no more need for talk. They were beyond that.

Clasping her head fiercely, Horatio descended upon her with possessive ferocity, claiming her lips and tongue with his own. Calleigh met his passion with an eagerness of a starving woman who had found much-needed sustenance. She gave herself freely to this abandon: To hell with protocol, the perception of others' and anything else that tried to prevent her from having this incredible man in her heart, in her life and in her body. She was no longer willing to live without him. Damn anyone who dared make her try. She gripped Horatio's shoulders and arms - as if letting go meant dying - and moaned low into his mouth.

The feel of her fingernails digging into his flesh combined with the throaty vibration emanating from her undid the final knot that kept his finely tuned self-control in check. Breaking away from her mouth, his lips aggressively traveled down the side of her face, nipping and tasting her heated skin as he traveled down her neck. Her breaths were rapid and shallow and he felt their warmth against his ear and in his hair as her arms snaked their way around his neck and held on for dear life.

Again she moaned as his hands skimmed down her back and found the hem of her shirt. Pulling the soft material away, his hands traveled underneath the fabric, causing Calleigh's hips to buck into him at the first contact of his unyielding fingers into her flesh. Her movement pushed him further over the edge. He growled, grasping the gray cotton and quickly lifting it. Reading his intention, Calleigh moved with him, and raised her arms as he boldly ripped the offending article off her.

Through flaxen strands of hair that flew wildly around her face, Calleigh met Horatio's eyes once again. The controlled, patient man she had known for so long was no longer there. His gaze was now relentless. This man standing before her, the same man she loved, was powerful and dangerous. His eyes traveled over her bare torso, lustfully drinking in her nakedness. It made her feel brazen and it excited her even more.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she straightened her shoulders and stepped into him again.

"Touch me, Horatio," she purred. "I want to feel your hands on me."

His eyes flicked back up to hers, the blue fires burning into her soul. He was caught in the grip of need and it was fully consuming him. Adding adrenaline and devotion to that mix made for a very potent cocktail – one that they were both drinking with a thirst only the other could quench.

He moved with great speed, again capturing her lips as his strong hands traveled up her body, pulling her tightly against him. Their tongues dueled, though Calleigh soon submitted to him, marveling at the masterful way he controlled her mouth. The thought of him controlling the rest of her body sent wet fire through her lower region. Their teeth ground against each other, but they knew no pain, only pleasure that was derived from the heat of this long overdue consummation. When Horatio's hands traveled down her sides, grazing her ample breasts, Calleigh gasped into his mouth again.

Though she was lightheaded, Calleigh felt Horatio pull back. Instantly, she yearned for him again.

"Don't stop," she begged breathlessly.

Grabbing her at the waist, Horatio bent and hooked an arm under her knees.

"I have no intention to, sweetheart," he replied huskily as he lifted her swiftly into his arms and walked with determination down the hall to his bedroom.

Kicking the door fully open, it only took a couple of long strides before he deposited Calleigh roughly in the middle of his large bed. She bounced once, her perky breasts bobbing as her body settled, but Horatio would not allow her to still. Like a predator, he pounced on his prey, partially covering her with his own body as he again roughly took possession of her mouth.

Her fingers entwined in his hair as she responded with equal ardor, pulling him down further onto her, cradling him between her shaking legs. She gasped as his hips came into contact with hers and he pressed his firm, solid length against her, adding fuel to the inferno blazing within her.

She reveled in the feel of his weight upon her, it made her feel covered … shielded from the world that existed outside this sanctuary. Earlier that day, he had been her protector; now he was her possessor.

As if reading her thoughts, Horatio pushed himself up enough to gain better leverage over her. His expression was intense as he traveled down Calleigh's body, planting kisses and touches over her exposed skin with a wicked slowness that drove her to the brink of sweet insanity.

He laved every inch of her torso with his mouth, worshiping her toned body that was now flushed with desire. Though she was shorter than he, her frame fit perfectly against his. He ran his hands over her as he gently latched onto one of her pert nipples and sucked it in between his teeth.

"Yes!" she whimpered as one hand found the bedspread and tightly gripped it while the other maintained a firm grasp in his hair. She arched her back, pushing up into his mouth and giving him full access to every inch of her flesh. After a few maddening moments, he moved to the other breast and continued his onslaught on her senses.

"You, ah, are torturing me," she gasped when he flicked his tongue against the other rosy tip.

Lifting his head away, he pushed himself up and loomed over her.

"Perhaps, but I promise you it will be well worth it," he said, then leaned back down and began licking a trail down the center of her body until he came to the waistband of her pants.

When he gripped the drawstring of her pants with his teeth and looked up with a menacing gleam in his eyes, Calleigh felt as if she was ready to spontaneously combust.

With deliberate patience, he pulled the string up until the tightly wound binding was undone. The animal now unleashed inside him planned to do the same thing to her that night, repeatedly. Crouching between her supple thighs, he leaned up and ran his hands over her hot flesh again, before hooking his fingers in the waistband of her pants and underwear.

Meeting her eyes, he smirked as he quickly divested her of the clothing, practically tearing it down and away from her legs. Calleigh gasped at the rapid movement and tried to lean up on her elbows, but was foiled when Horatio again slid on top of her. This time, he grasped her legs and pulled them around his body. She willingly complied and hooked her ankles around his waist as his hands traveled down her outer thighs and his mouth again found her raspberry-tipped mounds of flesh.

Now divested of the thick cotton of her pants, she was able to feel with greater appreciation the formidable erection that was straining against Horatio's trousers as he moved with purpose. She was already hot and wet with anticipation for him, but somehow, she realized that the clothing-to-nudity ratio was seriously off.

"Oh God," she moaned as his tongue created wet circles on her skin. "You've gotta take off your pants."

Horatio chuckled, causing a rumbling vibration through Calleigh's chest.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear," he murmured into between kisses on her skin. "You know what they say about all good things."

When she felt his fingers move to the inside of her thighs – closer to that very happy place - she drew in a quick breath and her head fell back against the bed.

"That's easy … _sweet Jesus_ … for you to say," she breathed as his fingertips danced around her swollen flesh. She bucked her hips, desperate for him to make contact with that oh-so-sweet spot.

"Actually, it's very _hard_," he said through gritted teeth, pushing his straining bulge against her hot center. "But like I said, I expect the rewards to be … extraordinary."

He covered her body again, kissing her eyelids and her face. His lips traced every curve of her throat and collarbone before he licked his way down her heaving chest. Calleigh now gripped the bed with both hands as she valiantly fought the urge to attack him and take what she craved, that which he was mercilessly teasing her with.

"Trust me, Calleigh," he whispered, reading her mind again. He kissed his way back down her torso. "Let me do the driving for now."

When he arrived at his destination, Calleigh thought she would drown in the waves of desire. She raised her head and looked down to find his face hovering above her soft curls. He bent down and kissed the area above the blonde patch tenderly.

"You smell delicious, sweetheart," he murmured. "I want to taste you."

Before she could heartily agree, his mouth found her, sending her head flying back on the bed. She panted loudly as he traced circles on her clitoris with his tongue and used his fingers to probe the hot, drenched skin around her opening. His pace was maddening and she could feel her inner fires begin to coil low in her belly.

"Oh … my … _God …_" she moaned as he found a very sensitive spot with the tip of his tongue. "Where did you learn that?"

"Catholic school," he mumbled against her flesh as he grabbed her hips and pulled her more forcefully to him, allowing him to probe her more deeply. His mouth dove into her and he greedily drank deep of her essence.

Her body responded instantaneously and she whimpered as the fiery coils inside tightened. Horatio used just the right pressure; the right amount of suction, and Calleigh writhed and squirmed with each swipe of his tongue. She had already been inflamed, but now she teetered vicariously on the brink of climax, waiting for just the right push to send her flying over the edge.

And just when she couldn't stand waiting anymore, Horatio sucked hard on her swollen nub and thrust two fingers deep into her hot depths.

"Oh fuck!" Calleigh screamed and shattered. Thrashing as her body went tight, she arched high off the bed, her legs clamping around Horatio's head. Though he couldn't breath, he could think of no sweeter way to die than to suffocate in the depths of this magnificent woman. He continued his oral ministrations until her legs finally loosened their grip and Calleigh relaxed back down on the bed, her body still trembling in the aftermath of her orgasm.

Slowly, Horatio stood and knelt over her. His steely erection strained against the front of his dark suit pants, demanding freedom from the cloth bonds, but he maintained his focus on the flushed southern belle spread out wantonly on his bed. The blush of her skin and the spray of her blonde locks contrasted sharply against his dark bedspread and he marveled again at her magnificent beauty. Seeing her like this, he was convinced no goddess could ever come close to rivaling her.

It was then that he noticed it.

When she was finally coherent enough to open her eyes, she looked up to see Horatio studying her intently, a look of whimsical curiosity on his face. Propping herself up on her elbows, she tilted her head to the side.

"What is it?" she asked, the question reflected in her glassy green jewels.

Slowly, Horatio ran is hand over her right hip and came to a stop below her pantyline. When his fingers grazed and tickled a specific area of skin, she knew what had caught his attention.

"Do you like it?" she asked hesitantly, unsure how he would react.

He bit his lower lip and smiled slightly as he examined the small work of body art. Long ago, Speed had mentioned she had a tattoo, but claimed no one knew what it was. The ying yang was small, no bigger than a thumbprint, but the work was intricate, with delicate lines that weren't ostentatious. It was simple: A harmonious mixture of light and dark.

"It fits you," he said as he admired it. "It's beautiful, just like you."

Calleigh pushed herself up, reaching for him as she sat on her knees. Horatio pulled her up into his arms and closed his eyes as she ran her hands over his now sweaty chest. She loved his strong features and decided she could spend hours memorizing every line, every freckle, and every muscle of his body. But at the moment, she had a very particular destination in mind to begin with.

Running her fingers down his chest, she felt him suck in a sharp breath when she lightly traced the skin underneath his waistband with her fingernails.

"Your turn," she whispered against his neck as she leaned in and kissed her way from his ear to his shoulder. With the skilled precision of a woman who worked with her hands, she quickly loosened his belt. She moved deliberately slow, pulling the belt open and unbuttoning his pants … methodically teasing him the way he had teased her.

His hands went to her shoulders and wove their way back into her hair as he kissed her again. Calleigh smiled against his mouth, tasting herself on his tongue. And when she ran a single finger along his rigid member and unzipped him, he groaned loudly into her throat.

"Oh my," Calleigh teased, pulling away from his mouth, licking his top lip along the way. "That's quite a piece you're packin' Lieutenant."

He would have responded if she hadn't followed that statement by slipping her hand between his body and boxers. Capturing her mouth again, his eyes flew open when the soft skin of her palm closed around his cock. Calleigh marveled at how warm and smooth it was in her hand as she started massaging it with long, gentle strokes. Her fingers traced along the head, spreading the beads of moisture there along the silky tip.

"Calleigh."

Her name escaped his lips like a prayer, and he bowed his head as he waged an internal battle to maintain control of his senses – a battle he was quickly losing to her. He clenched his jaw, savoring the unbelievable sensation of being with her in this erotic and intimate way. It had been so long since he had been with a woman; he rejoiced that the woman who was now undoing him was the one that had ultimately taught him what it was to be in love again. It was right … perfect.

Each stroke of her hand became more determined, more forceful and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears as he came closer and closer to losing it … and they had both come too far for this to end quickly.

"_Calleigh …_" he mumbled again. His voice was low and it spoke of serious urgency. Reaching down, he grabbed her wrist, stilling her movements. Confused by this unexpected turn in their encounter, Calleigh stopped the attention she was giving to his neck and looked up at him. His eyes were still cast downward, and his jaw was locked tight. She furrowed her eyebrows and straightened up, unsure if she had done something wrong.

"Horatio? Did I …"

His look stopped her mid-question, and he raised her hand to his lips. The gesture was so sweet and gentle that his next maneuver caught her off-guard. Quickly wrapping his arms around her backside, he lifted and threw her back down on the bed, causing her to squeak softly as she hit the soft comforter. Just as fast, he shed the remainder of his clothes and crawled onto the bed over her. As soon as their skin made contact, she opened her legs to him, bending them at the knees and inviting his body to hers. He ground his hips against her, causing her to moan loudly as his abundant erection slid against her wet folds. He held himself above her on one hand while the other one tenderly stroked her neck. Her lips were swollen and red and her flesh glistened with sweat.

Calleigh's eyes danced over Horatio's face. His forcefulness scared her, but in an exciting way: It was yet another emotion she had never experienced with another man in this way. It made ignited her desire for him that much more.

"I need you, Calleigh." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I have to have you."

The tone of his voice alone sent ripples of pleasure up her spine and she curled her hands around his neck.

"Then take me, Horatio," she whispered confidently. "I'm all yours."

He paused for a moment and ran a finger down the center of her body before his hand settled under the outside of her thigh. Then with a fierce movement, he jerked her leg up over him.

"Mine!" he growled and entered her fast and hard. She yelped in pleasure and arched against him, already feeling the electric coil tighten in her again. His cock stretched and filled her to an extreme she had never experienced before.

He nearly pulled out of her completely and rubbed the tip of his length teasingly against her before roughly thrusting back in. Her leg tightened around his back as he rode her hard. She dug her fingers into his neck as she desperately tried to hold on. The room was filled with the sounds of bodies slapping against each other: Hot flesh on hot flesh. They were surrounded by the sensual scent of sweat mixed with cologne, perfume and sex.

Calleigh's velvety wetness was like nothing he had ever felt before. He buried himself effortlessly in her as far as he could before pulling all the way out of her and then diving back in. Each time he did, he felt her walls clench around him, trying to hold him there … as if begging him not to leave her body.

He had no intention of leaving. Inside of her was the place where love and life existed. He would be more than happy to stay there forever.

He moved his hand from her thigh and slipped it in between them. She moaned loudly in delight as his thumb circled the small mound above her entrance.

"Oh God, that is so _good_," she said wriggled her hips against him. "Take me!"

He pressed her further into the bed with his weight and she delighted in every second of it. His whole body was marble: Rock hard. She could feel his cock pulsing and – if possible – getting larger with each delicious thrust. Calleigh felt passion-crazed, but she loved it. There was nothing else but the wonderful man who was deep inside her. They were one person, one unit moving through space and time together in harmonious and perfect fashion.

She let out a gasp with every thrust of Horatio's hips. She moved her hands from his neck and slid them down his chest, wanting to feel every part of him. Her body throbbed and each of his thrusts sent electricity running through her veins. She'd had sex that was good, but she'd never had sex that was this exciting. He teased her with his body and was rewarded each time for her devotion. His skin twitched where her hands moved and it thrilled her to know his body instinctively reacted to her in that way. Her heart soared with the knowledge that she had that effect on him, that he wanted her this badly … that he loved her as she loved him. Though she was caught between the firm mattress and her firm lover, she felt in total control.

This wasn't sex for the sake of pleasure: Making love with Horatio was an earth moving, life-altering experience. One she knew she would crave again and again and again.

Lost in the haze of their passion, Horatio opened his eyes and looked down into her flushed face.

"You … are … incredible …sweetheart," he thrust deep into her with each word. "You feel … amazing."

She smiled up at him seductively and bit her lower lip. She could tell he was a taut wire, ready to snap at any moment. But she also knew this was Horatio – and her Lieutenant's control knew no bounds. She decided there was no better time than the present to put that to the test.

Rather than respond to him verbally, she grinned and arched her hips up to his, allowing him to get even deeper into her. Then, she ground herself again her and clenched her inner muscles around his cock as tightly as she could.

His reaction was immediate and his whole body stiffened. Horatio wondered if he had died and gone to heaven. Calleigh was nothing short of an angel: An angel who was raw and fiery, and who had intoxicated him with lust. It was as if he were finding out for the first time how sex was really supposed to be.

"Christ!" he gasped, now pushing into her faster. Each time, she pulled him into her and clenched. His control gave way some and he grabbed the leg she had wrapped around him and pulled it up to his shoulder. Calleigh gasped as the movement stretched her, allowing her to get the full feeling of him moving inside her.

"Mine …" he groaned again as he leaned down and latched on to one of her nipples. Then he reached back down and continued palpating her clit. The sensation of him working on several of her sweet spots was rapidly sending Calleigh into overdrive. She thrashed wildly and he held her tightly. Moving his mouth back to hers, he thrust his tongue back into her eager mouth, even as he thrust himself into her body.

"I'm close," Calleigh whispered when he finally pulled his mouth away. Horatio nodded.

"I know," he groaned. "I want you to let yourself go. Come for me, Calleigh. Come for me."

His words sparked a memory from a dream she had had not so long ago. A dream where their bodies had come together in beautiful sexual unison. Now she was living the dream, and the thought filled her with unparalleled joy. All of the emotion, all of the sensations she was experiencing ignited the fires within her. She clung to him, the coils tightening sharply as she felt the first vestiges of a mind-blowing orgasm begin to travel up her spine.

Feeling her need for completion, Horatio plunged into with long, hard strokes and felt the first spasms of her orgasm begin to surface. The waves inside her rose higher and higher. As he continued to ram into her, she gave herself over to it, the waves crashing over her and sending her flying into an ocean of sparks and light.

"Oh God, Horatio!" she screamed as her climax filled her entire, shuddering body. She went rigid and her silken walls clamped around him in a glorious vice grip.

The combined sensation of her taut body and the liquid heat she enveloped him became too much for him. Hard and tight, he roughly thrust into her a couple more times before his own body began to convulse with intense spasms.

"Calleigh!" he roared, his face contorted in pain and pleasure as he thrust one last time, releasing everything he had into her. His eyes clenched shut, he buried his face in her neck and collapsed onto her, his whole body going stiff and still.

The feeling of his warmth within her womb, the weight of his strong, slick body and the feel of his hot breath rapidly spreading across her own sensitized flesh made Calleigh dizzy with love. She clutched him tightly, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. Her own body still shuddering in the aftermath of their lovemaking, she rubbed her hands lightly across the planes of his trembling back muscles.

After a few minutes of silence, Horatio finally shifted to the side and propped himself up on his arm so he could look at her. He was overwhelmed by the adoration he saw in her eyes. He reached up and pushed a sweaty lock of hair away from her face, then leaned down and gently kissed her.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips while still looking into her eyes. "I love you so much … it's indescribable."

Calleigh reached up and caressed his face. He nuzzled into her hand and kissed her palm, his blue eyes now dancing with affection.

"You don't have to describe it," she responded softly. "You've shown me, in so many ways."

She wrapped her fingers around his neck and drew him back down to her.

"I love you, too. And I plan on showing you just how much. Every day," she said, then pulled him into another deep kiss.

* * *

**I hope this was worth the wait. :) Feedback is always appreciated. Seriously, otherwise I really have no idea if my writing sucks or if people genuinely like this. Especially since the story isn't complete yet.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

WARNING: The chapter is NC/17

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 14**

Calleigh lay awake as Horatio dozed. Her body was exhausted but her spirit was experiencing a revival. Laying there, in the shadows of the morning, the soft whispers of her love's breathing creating a hypnotic symphony, Calleigh did something she had all but given up on – she embraced happiness.

Her eyes flickered over the steady rise and fall of Horatio's chest to the nearby window where the first vestiges of orange and yellow hues were starting to shine through the curtains. She sighed contentedly and snuggled closer into her lover's body, absorbing the warmth of his exposed skin. She allowed her gaze to linger upon him for several, silent moments before it traveled to the alarm clock on the nightstand. The red digital numbers relayed the fact – to her great disappointment – that soon she would need to leave. She needed enough time to get home, get ready for work and return to the office. In addition to Judge Houser's funeral, there was much both she and Horatio needed to accomplish that day, and though she desperately wished it to, time stood still for no person.

She considered waking the man sleeping next to her, but then thought better of it. They had made love several times into the early morning hours before he finally surrendered to exhausted slumber. Calleigh, however, remained awake, watching him rest. The soft cotton sheets lay draped across his legs, leaving his firm chest exposed. His body was easy for her to appreciate and after the night they had had, she delighted in the notion that she could finally show him just how much she appreciated it.

Stealing a few more minutes of quiet contemplation, she studied Horatio's handsome features. The light shone through his thick red hair, setting each tousled strand ablaze. She considered this aspect of him: Fiery both inside and out. Within him, the fires of passion always burned brilliantly, no matter what the circumstance. She had seen this passion in the steadfast ways he approached finding the science in the evidence, in the relentless ways he pursued those guilty parties who had hurt innocent people, and by the fierce compassion he showed those who could not help themselves. It was apparent in the way he loved his family, guided his son and stood – an unwavering constant - by his staff.

It was as if Prometheus himself had placed the fire of life within the man lying next to her. The magnitude of this caused Calleigh to shudder slightly.

Horatio's face tilted to the side and he took slow, deep breaths conducive to deep sleep. She had never seen him truly at rest before, she had never seen him look so peaceful, and though his fiery determination was one of the traits she admired most about him, she memorized how he appeared now – in a state of total, amazingly beautiful serenity.

It was a sight that took her breath away and she was surprised to find her eyes watering. Smiling to herself, she rejoiced internally at the knowledge that for the first time in a long, long time, the tears she cried where the result of pure, unabashed joy. Resting her head against his chest, she ran her hand over his body softly, so as not to wake him.

But when his own hand rose to cover hers, clasping it firmly over his heart, she knew her attempt at stealth had been for naught.

"You're awake."

His voice was rough with sleep but tinged with amusement. His eyes remained closed as Calleigh shifted slightly, pushing herself up further so that her face hovered more near his. Leaning down, she placed a soft kiss against his stubbled cheek.

Horatio exhaled deeply. Turning his head before Calleigh could pull back, he captured her lips, slowly tasting them in a slow, languid kiss. When she finally did break away, he opened his eyes and drank in the sight of her.

Her bare skin glowed radiantly in the morning light. Her golden hair hung in loose waves around her face and shoulders. Her flushed face was free of makeup. She was always lovely. but he had never before seen her in such a natural state. It occurred to him that when God created woman, Calleigh's likeness had to have been what He had in mind.

"You should try to get a little more sleep," she murmured quietly, running her long fingers through his hair. "You had a long night, Lieutenant."

Her gentle touch caused him to close his eyes and relax.

"But it was worth every millisecond," he rasped with a smile as she continued her hypnotic ministrations.

"You'll get no argument from me on that," Calleigh teased lightly.

"That's good to know."

She grinned and smoothed down an exceptionally unruly lock of his hair. When his breathing started to once again become more steady and deep, she assumed he had fallen back to sleep.

"I love you," she whispered quietly, lying back down against him. When he tightened his arm around her and sighed, she realized he had heard her.

"That's also good to know," he replied with a slanted grin. "I'd hate to think that last night was out of pure, animal lust."

Calleigh chuckled. "There's a lot to be said for that, you know."

Horatio opened one eye and quickly closed it again. "I'm not the kind of guy that would look all that great in leather chaps and nothing else."

The memory of that particular discussion from so many years ago made Calleigh burst out in a fit of laughter and she buried her face into his side. When she finally composed herself enough, she looked up and rested her chin on his chest.

"I beg to differ," she giggled. "In fact, I think I might just have to make a special trip to the leather store."

Horatio barked loudly and flipped her onto her back, pinning her to the bed with his body. Though his actions took her by surprise, Calleigh couldn't help but laugh as he tickled her with roaming fingers and began nibbling deliciously at her neck.

"You are not playing fair!" She laughed.

"That's right. I'm not," he growled against the skin underneath her ear. "It comes with the rank."

It didn't take long, however, for the joking to take a different direction, to a place more … feral. Teasing tickles soon turned into touches with far more serious, demanding purposes. As if recharged, their bodies quickly responded to the need emanating from the other.

The time was all but forgotten to Calleigh as she indulged herself in the taste of Horatio's mouth. He made a sound low in his throat that was half human, half beast. Leaning down, he ran his tongue around one nipple, then the other. As he alternated back and forth, Calleigh arched her chest into his warm and wet mouth; the roughness of his unshaven face against the soft skin of her breasts was nothing short of euphoric torture. When he slid his mouth slowly down one slope and up the other, Calleigh considered never leaving Horatio's bed … work be damned.

Then she felt his hand cup her and she vowed to be bedridden forever.

Horatio rested the heel of his hand just above her feathery curls and slid his middle finger slowly down until he reached her molten core. She moaned loudly and clasped his head to her breast as he added a second finger to the party.

Calleigh gasped. "You … are going … to make me so late … for work."

Getting to work was what Horatio had every intention of doing, but it had nothing to do with the lab and everything to do with making Calleigh come. The deeper his fingers went, the harder he became.

"I think your boss will be okay with it," he groaned against her flesh. "This once."

This morning, his work would come easy to him. An additional finger and a couple more deep strokes sent Calleigh arching up off the bed. She cried loudly as her body shook with spasms. Horatio lifted his head from her and watched the expression of pure rapture spread across her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open as she gasped for air. A half-smile graced her lips as she came down from the high. Undoing his ballistics expert like this was quickly becoming Horatio's favorite pastime.

When she finally opened her eyes and saw him watching her, she grinned devilishly. Sitting up quickly, she turned the tables and pushed him onto his back. He smirked as she straddled his legs and hovered over him, her breasts – now red in some areas from beard burn – bobbed deliciously as she situated herself.

"Your turn," she purred as she ran a single, manicured finger down his chest to the erection that now strained in between them. He drew in a sharp breath as she scraped her fingernail along his shaft. She bit her lower lip and looked back up at him. His face was red and his breathing was rapid, but she knew he was still in complete control of himself.

And she wanted nothing more than to see him lose that control.

She leaned forward and kissed him thoroughly on the mouth before traveling down his body with her tongue. The feeling of her body working its way down his quickly began to stretch his sanity to its limit. And when she – finally – arrived at her destination, she wasted no time driving him crazy.

He moaned softly as she drew her fingers over his shiny head. With a grin, she gave him a wink, then bent down and got to work on her own special project. When he felt her hot tongue tracing its way up his cock, Horatio's eyes rolled up and his head fell back on the pillow.

"Good god, Calleigh," he groaned, searching every molecule of his being for the strength not to explode that second. But such a feat would be difficult. He was already a ticking time bomb.

Her tongue left hot, wet streaks on his smooth skin. She tortured him in that fashion for several minutes, waiting to see how long he could hold on to his unshakeable resolve. She looked up, finding him clutching the sheets of the bed tightly. He was practically putty in her hands.

And mouth.

Smiling, she took her project to the next level.

She took him deeply into her mouth, and as she did, she flicked her tongue over his most sensitive skin. She knew he was almost gone when he pushed his hips up. Calleigh wrapped her hand around his base and stroked it slowly, feeling him tremble as she did. His reactions were giving him away and with every swipe of her tongue and squeeze of her fingers, she knew she almost had him.

But Horatio wasn't willing to give in quite so easily. Gritting his teeth, he fought valiantly to stave off the climax that was building to explosive proportions within him. As much as he wanted to make it last, he knew that it wouldn't take much more from her now to detonate him.

And he had a plan for her. Entwining his fingers in her hair, he gently tugged until she looked up at him. When he made eye contact with her, he let go of her head and propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her sternly.

"Calleigh. Stop."

The commanding tone of his voice confused her. A second ago, he seemed in total ecstasy. Now he seemed angry.

Calleigh withdrew her mouth from him and pushed herself up on her hands.

"Something wro-…"

Before she could finish, he lunged forward and grabbed her. Crushing his mouth against hers, she tasted of hot sex, which fired him up more. Their hands gripped and grasped at each other. Calleigh ran her nails down his back as he clutched the cheeks of her ass. Their tongues dueled as Horatio sat straight, holding his lover tightly against him, his raging erection caught between their bodies.

"I need to be inside you," he growled against her mouth. "You need it too, I know you do."

In her lust-drunk haze, Calleigh merely nodded and continued licking his lips. She felt him shift beneath her and then …

"Omigod," she gasped as he once again filled her. He groaned as he felt himself slip into her moist, hot center. He hugged her tighter and kissed her deeply. Without breaking from his mouth, Calleigh began to move on him, rising and falling on his length. With each plunge, he filled her more completely.

No matter how many times they came together like this, she always marveled at his size and how her body reacted to his. It was as if they were made for each other. In all the years she had known him, she had never dreamed it would ever be like this.

Horatio moved his hand in between them, reaching down and finding her swollen nub. When he pressed down on it with his thumb, it sent a broiling rush through her, right down to the pads of her fingers.

His tongue was as deep in her mouth as his cock was in her womb. He wanted to pull her inside of himself, protect her with his own flesh and make her one with him for all eternity. He sighed into her mouth and she knew he was getting close.

She clenched her soft walls around him and he felt the familiar tingle crawl through his body, building up low within him and branching out to the rest of him in white-hot tendrils. Calleigh leaned into each thrust more, pressing him as deeply inside of her as he could go. Their sweaty bodies slapped against each other. Her wetness drove him wild; he could feel himself coated with it.

"Do you know how close I am?" he moaned against her mouth.

She opened her eyes and stared directly into his. "Come with me," she whimpered.

Finding he could no longer deny her anything, he plunged into her with short, hard strokes. Finally, they both exploded, gasping and feeding off the other's climax. Collapsing back onto the bed, they lay there exhausted, completely overcome and drained.

When their breathing returned to normal, Calleigh kissed his cheek and settled next to him.

"I hate to break this to you," she said playfully, "but you are going to have to carry me everywhere today. I don't think I'll be able to walk for a week."

Before he could respond, the shrill sound of the doorbell filled the room.

With raised eyebrows, Calleigh propped herself up.

"Were you expecting company?"

Horatio shook his head and sat up. His legs were still a bit wobbly from the exertion of their coupling as well as the previous night's events. Exhaling loudly, he stood and walked – slowly – to his dresser, where he pulled out some pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt.

"It's probably my newspaper delivery guy," he said as he pulled the shirt over his head. "I think my subscription is up soon. He always reminds me when I need to renew."

"Ah," Calleigh said as she stretched out brazenly over his bed and grinned. "I hope early morning interruptions aren't a common thing with you, Lieutenant. Just think how … inconvenient … that could have been if he had been ten minutes early?"

Horatio stared at the vixen in front of him. He wondered how he was going to be able to function the rest of the day with the vision of this memory playing in his head.

"If that happens, I'll cancel the paper," he said as he reached for the door. "And while I'm gone, don't get out of that bed."

She blew him a kiss as he walked out the door. Rolling over, Calleigh glanced at the clock again. The digital time read: **6:23 a.m.**

"Oh shit," she grumbled wide-eyed as she bolted off the bed and started getting dressed.

* * *

Horatio yawned as he padded barefoot through his living room to the front door. Despite his fatigue, he felt fantastic … and very hungry. Approaching the door, he wondered if they would have time for breakfast, though he had come to learn that nothing was as delicious as Calleigh.

He was so distracted by his thoughts of food and sex, that he didn't bother looking through the peephole before opening the door.

"What's the big news to- …"

He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes adjusted to the outside light and he realized just who his visitor was.

"Good morning, Horatio. I was hoping to catch you before you left for work. I thought you might like some breakfast."

Yelena stood in the doorway holding a small basket of muffins and fruit. She smiled as she stepped around a stunned Horatio into his home. When his brain finally caught up with him, he turned to her.

"Um, thank you, Yelena," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That really wasn't necessary."

The Colombian woman smiled warmly and handed him the basket. "I know you're busy, so I won't stay. I just wanted to check and see how your head was feeling. I tried calling your cell but it kept going to voicemail."

His phone was still missing. In all of the madness of the day before, he had completely forgotten about it. He wondered how many other calls he had missed. Hopefully, none of them were call-outs.

"Sorry about that," he apologized with sincerity. He knew Yelena would have been worried and he kicked himself for not calling her sooner. "My phone was lost in the courthouse shooting. I have to get it replaced today."

"Well, I won't keep you then," she said, running her hands over her white slacks. "I just wanted to be sure you were okay … and eating."

Horatio smiled at his sister-in-law's generosity, but couldn't help but feel a bit awkward given the current situation between he and Calleigh. Unknowing of this, Yelena approached him and wrapped her arms around his mid-section. She gave him a gentle squeeze and a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Horatio, I need to borrow a shirt, I can't find mine," Calleigh's voice carried from the hallway. She came bouncing into the living room wearing one of the Horatio's T-shirts. She quickly stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the man she loved in the arms of another woman.

Horatio watched all the color drain out of Calleigh's face while at the same time, he felt Yelena go rigid against him. As Yelena pulled away, Calleigh looked at Horatio with a look of confused expectation. He tried to reassure her with his eyes, but he could already see her defenses going into lockdown.

Next to him, Yelena bent down and picked up something from the floor. Holding the familiar gray material out, she cleared her throat.

"I think this is what you are looking for, Detective," she said softly, as she handed Calleigh's discarded shirt to Horatio.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay. RL forced me to take a hiatus. Hopefully, it won't throw me anymore curveballs. *knock on wood***

**Feedback is love. Everyone need love, right?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 15**

Horatio took Calleigh's shirt from Yelena and cleared his throat.

"Well, ladies," he said, his face flushed as red as his hair. "This is …"

"Unexpected," Yelena finished.

"Awkward," Calleigh said at the same time.

The trio looked back and forth at each other. The two women sized the other up closely. Calleigh took in Yelena's exotic features and stylish clothes. Yelena noted Calleigh's mussed, golden hair and glowing skin.

No one spoke for what felt like an eternity before Yelena finally shook her head and moved to the door.

"Clearly, I interrupted something," she said, straightening her purse on her shoulder as she turned toward the door. The expression on her face was unreadable to Calleigh, but Horatio recognized it right away.

"_You had a daughter you never told me about …"_

Even though that had not truly been the case - her words had still hurt - but it was the way she had looked at him that had stung the most: It was a look of trust betrayed.

"_I'm finding it a little difficult to trust you …"_

He knew the reason behind her hurt and he reprimanded himself for not rectifying the situation sooner. It had been a misunderstanding …

_The warm ocean air swept over them as they stood on the dock, bathed in the lazy afternoon sun. The boys and Frank were ahead of them, leaving Horatio and Yelena to talk privately. The trip had been fun for the men, and Horatio had enjoyed spending time with his son and nephew. It was blissfully normal. Something he didn't get to experience that often. For the first time in a long time, he felt light, unburdened._

_Reaching out, Yelena took Horatio's hand in hers, caressing his knuckles with her thumb. _

"_He … we … are both very blessed to have such a wonderful family," Yelena said, a soft smile brightening her lovely face._

_Horatio looked up and smiled at her, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "So are we, Yelena. So are we."_

_At that moment, the breeze picked up again, covering them. Yelena reached up with her free hand and softly cupped Horatio's cheek._

"_Horatio …" she whispered as she leaned up on tiptoe, closing her eyes in anticipation of something._

_Years ago, Horatio would have found it almost impossible not to reciprocate Yelena's intentions. But the years had made them different people and time had changed so many things. While nostalgia may have tugged a bit at his heartstrings in the beginning of the conversation, he already knew he could not give her what she was looking for._

_Before her lips could touch his, his tilted his head to the side, her kiss landing on his cheek. Though her lips were warm, he quickly leaned away from her and squeezed her hand. Yelena opened her eyes and looked at him, trying to decipher what he was thinking. He smiled sadly and looked down._

"_I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should get going. We'll talk later, okay?"_

The next day she had called with an invitation to a family dinner, and he knew she wanted to talk about what had happened on the dock.

By then, however, his heart had been captivated and captured by one Calleigh Duquesne.

And then a young girl with a gun had thrown his world into chaos. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, he was finding it difficult to maintain a logical grasp of it all. Still, he knew he needed to straighten things out with Yelena, and he had dreaded hurting her. She was still special to him, and he regretted that present circumstances were how she ultimately found out about this dramatic and very important turn in his life.

He had never had any intention of hiding his feelings for Calleigh, but this was not how he envisioned integrating her into their family.

But fate was a fickle mistress, he reasoned. And he wasn't going to let Calleigh doubt for one moment where she stood in his life.

Feeling the urgent need to do … something … to set the record straight, Horatio walked over to Calleigh and handed her the shirt. Unsure about what was happening, Calleigh took it from him with an awkward smile, but then looked away.

Remaining by Calleigh's side and determined not to let her down, Horatio took her free hand in his, turned and faced Yelena.

"Yelena," he started, but wasn't able to finish before his sister-in-law opened the front door.

"I apologize for my poor timing," she said as she quickly stepped out. "I'll just be going now."

With that, she abruptly closed the door, leaving the two lovers in stunned silence. Calleigh stood there, surprised by the events that had just unfolded. But it was more than just being found out by Yelena: It was Horatio's reaction to it that had rendered her speechless. The idea of going public with their relationship was something Calleigh hadn't realistically thought about. She knew Horatio had talked to Alex and she suspected Kyle was aware that she and his father were more than colleagues, but beyond that, she hadn't considered how this would be addressed within the lab, or the rest of Horatio's family.

But it seemed her love had taken the first step in that regard, just by simply being at her side.

It was clear that Yelena was not only caught off guard by the news, but hurt by it as well. Calleigh knew a broken heart when she saw one; she had been there several times herself. Because of that, Calleigh felt sympathetic toward the other woman.

"Hey," Horatio's deep voice broke her train of thought as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Are you okay? I mean, with what just happened?"

Shaken from her reverie, Calleigh looked up at him. She could hear the underlying insecurity in his question, but saw nothing but love and adoration in his eyes. He was waiting for her to react, giving her the chance to lead them on this next step.

She was grateful for the sense of equality. Smiling slightly, she exhaled and leaned into his body.

"Yeah," she said softly, resting her head against him. "For the most part, anyway. Are you okay?"

"It wasn't _exactly_ how I pictured telling Yelena, but she was going to find out soon," he replied. "I will talk to her more about it later. I'm not going to hide what we have, Calleigh. I won't let there be any question about what you mean to me."

Calleigh closed her eyes, his words and actions squelching any lingering insecurities she may have had. And then she remembered.

"At some point, the team is going to find out," she said hesitantly. "And we'll have to figure out how to deal with IAB."

"Well, I'm not suggesting we announce it on a billboard," he joked. "I'm not going to lie about it, but it is our personal business. I don't think we need to advertise it to the whole lab. When IAB does find out, we'll address professionally, the best way we know how."

Calleigh grinned.

"So, no inter-company e-mail about that cute little birthmark on your upper thigh? I'm sure there are some people who would love to know about that."

Horatio gave her a mock glare. "That would be a 'no.'"

Growing serious, Calleigh sighed and played with the shirt in her hands. She knew there was one other thing that would have to be handled delicately.

"We're also going to have to tell Eric, you know," she added, chewing on her lip.

They both knew that conversation was going to be extremely awkward and neither relished the idea of hurting their trusted friend. Despite the way their relationship had ended, Eric was practically her family and would always have a place in her heart. To Horatio, he was family, and she knew he would do almost anything for Eric.

"I do know," he said, leaning down and kissing her softly on top of her head. "And we'll cross that bridge together when we come to it. But for right now, let's just take this as it comes, okay? We've got time to deal with the rest."

His mention of time made her smile broadly. He had lifted her spirit in so many ways.

"Sounds like a plan," she responded. "But next time, let's stay at my place."

* * *

"What do you think your dad will say?"

Kyle looked into the twinkling brown eyes of his girlfriend and smiled. A small crowd inside the cramped, government office had squeezed the couple close together and he was having a difficult time not stepping on Cassie's toes. She was short and petite, her shoulders fitting perfectly under Kyle's arm. Her curly dark hair was tied neatly back in a ponytail, making her look younger than she actually was. They had been waiting in the same line at the same window for more than an hour, and many of the patrons around them were starting to get grumpy.

Kyle on the other hand, was unfazed by the delays. This was one of the most important days in his life, and he wasn't going to let other people's discomfort bring down his good mood.

"I don't know," he said. "But I think he'll be happy. I definitely think he'll be surprised."

Cassie smiled back at him and took his hand.

"I don't think this line has moved at all since we got here," she joked, squeezing his fingers.

Kyle grinned. He had been in and out of these types of offices and buildings so many times in his life, he knew all too well that nothing happened quickly when it was on Uncle Sam's dime. Those times had been rough and terrifying for the young man, but they were well behind him.

He was no longer alone. He finally had a family.

Looking down at the documents in his hand, he was filled with warmth at the idea that this visit was about his new life and his future. It was something he had been thinking about a lot lately.

Convincing Cassie had been easy. When he talked to her about it, she had hugged him senseless.

"_Do you want me to go with you," she had asked him. "I mean, when you tell your dad?"_

"_I appreciate it, but it's a big step and I think this is a talk he and I need to have alone," he had replied after kissing her hand. "But I love you for wanting to do this with me."_

"_I love you, too, Kyle," she had responded. "I may not know your father, but from everything you've ever told me about him, I'm sure he will understand. If he's half as compassionate and kind as you are, he definitely will."_

"So when are you going to talk to him?" Cassie's voice broke through his memory.

He shrugged and took a step forward as the line started to move.

"As soon as we get the paperwork back," he said. "I want to show it to him, so he knows how serious I am about this."

Cassie sighed and stepped forward also.

"Hopefully this line isn't indicative of the pace these people do their work," she snorted. "Otherwise it will be Christmas before he finds out."

As if responding to her complaint, the pace of the line picked up even more. Kyle laughed as Cassie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, if what I read on the website is true, everything should be ready right after finals," he said. "Just a few weeks."

"I'll pray to the bureaucracy gods that this doesn't get all caught up in red tape," Cassie quipped. "How cool would this be as a Father's Day present?"

Kyle smiled and took another step in line. "Very cool. And that's a great idea. I knew I kept you around for a reason."

Cassie lightly elbowed him. "Well, get used to it, because I am not going anywhere, mister."

* * *

**Not done yet, but getting close.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Work in progress.

**Chapter 16**

**Six weeks later …**

"I heard Ryan and Walter officially initiated Kyle this afternoon."

Horatio looked up from the paperwork on his desk to the gorgeous blonde with dancing green eyes standing in the doorway. Calleigh smirked and stepped inside his office, closing the door behind her. He leaned back in his chair and watched her move with much appreciation. He admired the way her tan chinos accentuated her curves and he had a difficult time not staring at the little bit of cleavage her white cotton shirt revealed.

Especially now that he knew what secrets lay underneath the cotton and lacey barriers. He had every inch of her body committed to memory.

He could hardly believe how quickly time had gone by since the night they had first consummated their love. In the weeks following that most momentous occasion, they had spent more and more time together. They were still being discrete: By day, they were CSI's Lieutenant Caine and Detective Duquesne. But once their shift was over or the case was closed, they were Horatio and Calleigh, a newly committed couple who were still getting to know the intricacies of the other's lives, getting accustomed to their new relationship and just falling into sync with each other.

All that, and making love many, many times.

"_I'm a lucky man,"_ he thought to himself as she sat down in the chair across from him with carefree ease and folded her hands over her lap. Her long blonde hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders and she pushed a strand of it away from her face. For a moment, Horatio's breath caught in his throat as he remembered the feel of her hair brushing tantalizingly over his bare chest during an intimate interlude that morning.

Seeing that she was losing him, Calleigh chuckled and leaned forward.

"Horatio?" she teased, waving a hand in front of his face.

Realizing he had been caught daydreaming, Horatio blinked and smiled.

"Sorry about that," he said, thinking back to her original statement. "Yes, I heard that myself. The old 'boiling the head' routine. Not very original, but effective. It definitely made Kyle really think about what he would be getting into with a career in forensic medicine."

"Eric and I did the same thing to Ryan and he made it through unscathed … more or less," Calleigh rebutted playfully. "It could have been worse. Walter got an airplane chemical toilet. I had Eric looking for the special cases lab for two hours before he figured out there was no such place. And Speedle hid everything in my locker in an evidence box. It's a right of passage."

"Wolfe and Walter are lucky Tom has a sense of humor," Horatio huffed. "Some M.E.'s wouldn't tolerate such behavior in their lab."

"Walter told me that not only was Tom in on it, but he was excited about it."

"That makes me feel so much better about my son's future."

Kyle was just beginning his summer internship with the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office and had been assigned – with some help from Calleigh – to Dr. Lohman's team. He had only been on the job for a couple of weeks, but already he was working hard and fitting in with the rest of the crew. Both Horatio and his son had been so busy, they really hadn't had a chance to spend any quality time together. At least with Kyle in the M.E.'s office, which was just on the other side of the building, it was easy for Horatio to stop in to check on the young man.

"Speaking of Kyle," Calleigh continued, "you two are still having dinner tonight, right?"

Horatio nodded, leaning to the side of his chair. "Yes, and you are still more than welcome to join us."

"I know, and I appreciate it," she replied, "but you guys need some father-son time. I feel like I've been keeping you all to myself."

"At what point did you hear me complaining about that?"

She grinned. "You haven't … yet. Besides, I told Natalia I would go with her to check out the new Thai place down the street and then I think we are going to some jazz club she likes."

Horatio rubbed in chin and gave her a sultry smile. "Sounds like you've got a girls' night planned. Don't get into too much trouble."

"No trouble on the agenda, just spicy food, saucy music and fun," she said as her eyes quickly scanned the room to make sure no prying eyes could see them. When she was satisfied that all the shades were properly closed, she stood and seductively walked around the desk to where he was sitting. "Don't forget that tomorrow you are all mine, Lieutenant."

She leaned down to his eyeline - her eyes glittering with mischief - and cupped his face. "You, me and a whole room full of firearms and ammunition. I've been waiting for this day for a while now and it's time to pay the piper."

Lured in by her touch and the purr in her voice, Horatio growled softly in his throat. Never before had he considered the thought of gun vault inventory to be so erotic.

"I could NEVER forget that," he murmured, his eyes locking in on hers. "I've never been so glad to lose a bet in my life."

"And tomorrow night," she whispered slyly, "I plan on conducting my own private inspection of your weapon, sir. A very … thorough … inspection."

Unable – and not really wanting - to maintain his control, Horatio quickly grabbed her around the waist and yanked her down into his lap. Their mouths crashed over and over, and their hands roamed for several, heated minutes. Sensing the point of no return coming upon them, he finally pulled back and tried to compose himself.

"If you keep distracting me like this, I won't be able to finish this report," he said breathlessly, his face flushed with desire.

Calleigh chewed on her swollen bottom lip and ran her hands through his thick hair.

"I'm the best distraction there is," she cooed as she nipped once more on his lips. "I'm the kind that can help you finish your work … later. As in AFTER."

When she leaned in and started nibbling on his earlobe, Horatio sucked in a deep breath of air.

"Cal, Calleigh … the door …"

Calleigh smiled devilishly against his neck. "Is locked. The shades are closed. Now shut up and kiss me."

"Is that an order?"

"Oh, you know it, handsome."

"I could get very used to this," he said before kissing her roughly again, trailing his way down her face to her slender neck.

"By all means," she gasped as his hands found their way under the back of her shirt and began lifting the soft material, "please do."

In the labs beneath them, the staff went about their usual business. Tests were conducted. Results were analyzed. Research was conducted. People walked by each other in the halls, some chatting, some alone. The hustle and bustle of the work, along with the sturdy structure of the building – including sound-proof walls and thick windows – made it impossible for the crew to hear the soft moans of pleasure and professions of love that filled the day shift commander's office.

* * *

**Later that night**

"So, when am I finally going to meet this Cassie I keep hearing so much about?" Horatio asked his son.

The two men sat in deck chairs out on Horatio's back porch watching the spring sun set over the ocean. A soft breeze carried the scent of the Atlantic in the air, settling over them like a soft blanket. They were both full from dinner: Horatio had grilled steaks while Kyle prepared the salad and vegetables. They had eaten outside, enjoying the early evening weather and spending the time catching up on Kyle's internship and Horatio's work.

Kyle took a swig of his iced tea and glanced at his father.

"I'll let you meet my girl when I can meet yours," he challenged lightly. When Horatio did not respond, Kyle chuckled.

"Oh c'mon, Dad," he said. "I know there is something going on with you and Calleigh. I mean, it wasn't hard to figure out. Especially when I found you two all cozy together when you were in the hospital. So give, what's going on there?"

Horatio looked at his son and then looked out to the crashing ocean waves. He wondered if he could ever put into words just how much Calleigh truly meant to him. Nothing he could say seemed adequate enough to describe the magnitude of her presence in his life. Even then, he could remember the salty sweet taste of her skin from their encounter in his office. He could still see her gorgeous, nude body sprawled deliciously across his desk. He could still hear her moaning his name as she climaxed around him, sending him headlong into his own wave of ecstacy.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he sat up in his chair and turned to face Kyle. Resting his elbows on his knees, he nodded.

"Well son, Calleigh and I have known each other for a very long time. We've been through a lot together, there's a lot of trust and friendship there … and she means a great deal to me."

Kyle sat up and mimicked his father's posture.

"What does that mean?"

Exhaling, Horatio decided now was as good a time as any to discuss the possibilities of his future with his son.

"I love her Kyle," he said, meeting the young man's eyes – so similar to his own. "And she loves me. She's a wonderful person, a brilliant investigator and a magnificent woman. She makes me very, very happy and I, in turn, want to make her happy. Every day for the rest of our lives if possible."

Kyle's eyebrows practically reached his hairline. He had never suspected the depths of his father's relationship with the blonde CSI. When Horatio had been injured, it had been obvious to Kyle that his dad and Calleigh had feelings for each other, he just hadn't considered to what extent.

But when he thought about it, Kyle had noticed a change in his father's demeanor: Horatio seemed lighter, less burdened by life's obstacles. In short, exactly as he had said: Happier.

He was glad for it. The one thing that Kyle wanted more than anything was for his dad to have someone special to love. Two years ago, he had thought his parents were on the path to reconciliation, but he quickly learned that was not to be. And that was for the best. He reasoned that his mother was better off where she was; where she couldn't hurt anyone else.

Kyle had even wondered if there was something between his father and Yelina. Their closeness certainly suggested they were fond of each other. But it was the way his father looked at Calleigh (and the way she looked at him) that day at the hospital that told him something important, something steadfast was being shared between them.

If his father was happy, Kyle was happy. That was all he needed.

"I like Calleigh," Kyle said, a grin spreading over his face. "She's really nice. And she's hot. Good catch, Dad."

Horatio laughed and nodded. "She's that and so much more. I'm very lucky to have her in my life."

"I'm glad for you both," Kyle returned. "As for Cassie, I was thinking maybe we could have a get-together on the Fourth of July. You, me, Cassie, Calleigh, Aunt Yelina and Ray. Maybe even Frank and some of the guys from work. Then everyone can meet everyone. What do you think?"

Horatio wondered if Yelina would be speaking to him by then. She hadn't returned any of his calls or e-mails. He had spoken briefly to Ray Jr., who had merely said she had been working a lot. He didn't want to push her, so until Yelina was ready to talk, there wasn't much more he could do.

"I think that sounds like a great idea, son," he responded. "We should try for that."

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Kyle cleared his throat and looked at his dad again. There was something indecipherable in the young man's dark blue eyes.

"There is something I need to tell you, Dad," he said softly. "Something you need to know."

The tone in his son's voice immediately made Horatio concerned. He moved from his chair and sat next to Kyle.

"What it is? Is something wrong?"

Kyle shook his head, his sandy blonde hair tousling in the rising evening wind.

"Everything is great. Better than great," he said slowly, looking out at the ocean. "In fact, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about my life. What happened in my past, where my present is taking me and what possibilities my future holds. I've always wanted something real. For the first time, I really feel like I finally have some control over who I am and what I want. And it's scary … but it is also liberating."

Horatio watched as Kyle stood from the chair and walked to the edge of the porch. Gray clouds had begun to form on the golden horizon and Horatio knew a storm was heading in. Still, his son stood still in the face of it, emanating strength and resilience.

"You've come a long way, Kyle. I'm very proud of you. " Horatio said softly, recalling Dan Kramer's sorrow-filled words.

"… _don't ever let a day go by without telling him how much he means to you."_

He stood and placed both hands on Kyle's shoulders. "I can't imagine my life without you in it," Horatio said, a lump forming in his throat. "I … I don't want to even try."

Hot tears filled the younger man's eyes.

"I'm proud of you too, Dad," Kyle said. "And I'm proud to be your son. And the time will come where I'll have a family, and I want them – my wife and children, and then someday their children - to be proud of us, too."

Reaching around his back, Kyle pulled his wallet out and took something out.

"This is your Father's Day gift," he sniffed slightly, holding up the small, thick card. "It's a little early, but I really hope you like it. I wanted you to know how much you mean to me."

Intrigued, Horatio tilted his head and took the card from his son. Recognizing Kyle's photo on the upper left side of the driver's license, he read the information on it. Next to the photo, the name read: **KYLE CAINE**.

Before he could say anything, Kyle spoke.

"I had my name legally changed. Kyle Harmon was who I was growing up, when I didn't belong anywhere or to anybody," his voice broke, causing tears to form in his father's eyes. "I was alone … until you saved me. And you've been there for me ever since. No matter how hard things got, you never gave up on me. You are my father and I want everyone to know that. Someday, I want my kids and grandkids to carry on our name with pride. I love you, Dad."

Overwhelmed by the impact of his son's gift and oblivious to the storm clouds now thundering around them, Horatio pulled Kyle into a fierce hug.

"You saved me too, son," he choked, tears streaming down his cheeks. "And I love you. You have been the greatest gift in my life."

The two men stood embraced for a long time, until the first droplets of rain reminded them that nature waits for no man. Not even a father and son.

Laughing as he pulled away, Kyle wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.

"Looks like we better head inside before we get drenched," he said.

Horatio, too, wiped his eyes and slapped his son on the back, leading him back into the house.

"A little rain never hurt anyone," he replied as he closed the glass door behind them just as the sky opened up and unleashed it's own tears upon the land.

* * *

**Okay, so I realized I've been spelling Yelina's name two different ways and I apologize for that. But as far as I can tell from checking the appropriate sites, the spelling is YELINA, so at some point, I will go back and fix the other misspellings. I apologize for the inconvenience there.**

**A mega-huge thanks to all my reviewers. RL has been kinda sucky lately, so you have no idea how much your kind words and input mean to me. It helps me to know there are people still following my stories.**

**So ... how many people thought Kyle was getting engaged? :)**

**Okay, so we are nearing the end. Next up is the final chapter for "Down to One." After that, who knows?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Down to One**

Author: NotasboredasIlook

Rating: M for profanity, violence and adult situations.

Disclaimers: CSI: Miami and the characters belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and they have far more time and money than I do. I'm just using the products of their genius for nonprofit fun.

Category: DuCaine. Angst/Drama/Romance

Summary: Her heart was the traitor.

Timeline: CSI: Miami Season 8 through "Bad Seed." After that I take our team in a different direction. No Kyle in Afghanistan and no more Delko and Calleigh rendezvous'. This is a continuation from "Her Dark Life." If you haven't read that, you may get a bit lost.

Status: Complete

**Chapter 17**

The heavy rain and winds whipped against the windows of the dark office building. In his 50-plus years of living in Miami, Sam Rutherford was more than familiar with the angry weather the city would occasionally experience. The weather here was like his ex-wife, Elenora: Beautiful but unpredictable. One second pleasant and lovely, the next violent and ugly.

Because he had survived marriage to a woman like that for 27 years before finally walking out the door, he figured a little storm couldn't hurt him. Leaning against his vacuum, he paused to look out the rain-streaked window. Every few seconds the clash of thunder would rumble and a bolt of lightning would streak across the sky. He counted the seconds in between the two, each time never making it very far. He didn't need to count, however, to know that the storm had firmly settled in its place.

Shrugging, he bent down on knees that trembled from too many years of hard labor and yanked the vacuum's power cord out of the wall. Rolling the cord loosely onto his arm, he started down the dark hallway of the Miami-Dade Police Department's Administration Building. It was late at night, and Sam was about halfway through his shift. For a moment, he debated on whether or not to go ahead and take his lunch break or to finish the individual offices first.

It was then he noticed a blue light coming from under one of the office doors. Since it was nearly 11 p.m. and rarely was there anyone at the admin building this late other than him, Sam figured that one of the bosses had left their computer on. Normally, he would have left well-enough alone, but he had strict instructions to make sure all computers, copiers and printers were powered down in the event of severe weather. He never really understood why that particular task was important, but he wasn't getting paid to ask questions. He just did as he was told.

Unclipping his keys from his belt, he slipped the right key into the lock and opened the door.

"Excuse me."

The man's stern and reprimanding voice caught Sam totally off-guard and the janitor jumped back slightly into the hallway.

"Oh, beggin' your pardon Lieutenant," Sam apologized, wringing his age-weathered hands. "I didn't know you was here."

Stetler narrowed his eyes at the elder man wearing the tan coveralls. The man looked remorseful enough: Looking down at his shuffling feet and twisting his keychain around his fingers, he looked like a child that was awaiting some kind of punishment for stepping out of line.

Sighing, Stetler waived a hand at Sam and turned his attention back to his computer.

"It's all right … Steve, is it? I was just finishing up. Give me a few minutes and you can do what you need to."

Sam didn't show his annoyance at Stetler's mistake. He knew it would do him more harm than good to do so.

"Okay, sir," he said. Pushing his vacuum a little further down the hall. "Sorry 'bout that. Have a good night."

Stetler didn't respond to the custodian. Instead, he lightly clicked his computer mouse and watched the video play out in front of him again, a smug smirk pulling at the right corner of his mouth. He had received the disc late in the afternoon and spent the last several hours studying it. Satisfied that he was finally getting somewhere, he closed the video out and ejected the disc, tucking it into the open briefcase next to his printer. Then, clicking on the e-mail icon on his desktop, he opened a new message and started typing.

Fifteen minutes later, he took several documents off his printer, tucked them neatly into a file folder and then placed that on top of the DVD in his briefcase. Switching off his printer and computer, Stetler stood, picked up the case, grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and walked out.

As he was about to close the door, he ran into Sam, who was pushing the vacuum out of the office next to his. Nodding at the man, Stetler shifted his jacket over his arm.

"It's all yours, Steve," he said arrogantly. "Don't work too hard."

Sam leaned against the vacuum and grunted softly, his tan, balding head and brow glistening with a sheen of sweat.

"If ya don't mind me askin' sir, why is you here this late?"

Stetler turned and walked down the hall away from the other man.

"Oh, I'm just doing a little house cleaning of my own," he replied over his shoulder as he strolled away. "Good night."

"Evenin'," Sam grumbled, pushing the fancy Dyson vacuum into the rude lieutenant's office.

Eventually, he was down to his last office in this part of the building. Grateful that his break was just around the corner, he smiled as the idea of his sandwich and a hot cup of coffee.

Stopping at the door, he took his dusting rag from the back pocket of his coveralls and swiped it once over the nameplate, shining it up nice for the person who occupied this particular space. Capt. Sevilla had always been nice to him and treated him well, much better than guys like that Stetler-character. In kind, he always put a little extra into cleaning her office. Though his Pappy would have thought the idea of a woman police officer to be a hoot, Sam respected her. He swept the vacuum over the carpet three times (the other offices usually got one sweep unless they were really messy), double-checked her windows to make sure they were closed and locked tightly and ran the dust cloth over her bookcases, filing cabinets and computer.

When he swept the rag over her computer keyboard, he jumped when the screen flared from dark to bright. Never having owned a computer and knowing next to nothing about them (other than how to push the power button to turn them off), Sam had no idea that the computer had been in "sleep" mode. In his inadvertent attempt to clean her desk, Sam had hit a key, which opened Captain Sevilla's e-mail. Fascinated – and a little nervous – by the technology, the janitor didn't realize that the message he was reading, which was in preview mode, was a sensitive personnel matter.

All he knew was the line at the top read **"Internal Affairs Investigation Initiated. Subject: Crime Scene Investigator Det. C. Duquesne"**

Sam knew he wasn't a well-educated man, and he had no idea what some of the message's contents meant. Phrases like "evidence collected by this investigator reveals a reckless lapse in judgment" and "potential liability to the reputation of the MDPD CSI lab," were a little lost on him.

But he was not a stupid man. When he read "recommendation to place CSI Duquesne on administrative leave pending investigation results," he knew whomever this Duquesne person was, she was about to lose her job.

Suddenly disturbed and feeling a bit guilty about what he was reading, Sam pushed down on the power button until the screen went black again. Wiping down the desk one last time, the janitor retrieved his vacuum and walked out the door, silently wishing Miss Duquesne good luck.

* * *

"What were you saying about a little rain, Dad?"

Kyle grinned as he propped his feet up on his father's soft couch and rested his hands behind his head. Outside, the passing storm wailed away. He watched with intrigue as the wind whipped the ocean waves furiously and lightning danced across the night sky. Storms had always been oddly calming to Kyle. A trait he knew he hadn't received from his mother who would whimper and curl up into a ball at the first sound of thunder.

"_I hope I'm never like her,"_ he thought grimly, remembering all the times Julia had scared him or let him down.

Frowning at where these thoughts were taking him, he looked over at his father, who was busying himself with the television.

"I'm a CSI, son. Not a meteorologist," Horatio returned as he placed a copy of "Field of Dreams" in the DVD player. "Remind me to lend you the book this film is based on, it's an excellent read."

Kyle huffed and stood as the microwave "pinged".

"I did so much reading last semester, it will be awhile before I pick up another book voluntarily," he replied as he padded into the kitchen to retrieve their popcorn. "What do you want to drink?"

Horatio sat down on the far end of the sofa and leaned his head back. His body was exhausted, but his heart was bursting with life.

"I'll take a bottle of water, son," he called back to the kitchen.

"Two bottles of water and some movie treats coming up," Kyle shot back as he emptied the bag of popcorn into a large bowl.

At a loud crash of thunder, the elder Caine raised his head and stared out the window. The storm was much heavier than he had anticipated and it looked like it was going to hold on for a while.

"I think you should stay here tonight, Kyle," he said as his son returned to the living room with an armful of snacks and bottles of water. "I don't want you to drive back to the dorms in this weather. I have a room set up for you, you know."

Kyle nodded as he shoveled a handful of popcorn into his mouth. "I know," he said with his mouthful.

He finished chewing and took a swig of his water. Over their vacation, his father had asked him if he wanted to move in for the summer, but Kyle had declined. While he wasn't taking summer classes, he found that being on campus made it easier for him to remain focused on his academics and his future. That, and he wanted to remain close to Cassie who was taking summer classes. Being the supportive person he always was, his father said he understood and didn't push Kyle any further on the matter.

"That's cool of you, Dad," he continued as he picked up the remote and handed it to Horatio. "I think I will crash here."

"Wow, I get control of the remote, too," Horatio joked. "I'm on a roll."

Kyle laughed. "That's only because I want control of the popcorn."

Laughing in response, Horatio started the movie. As Kevin Costner walked around the solitary green cornfield onscreen, Kyle held the bowl over to his dad, who took a handful with a smile.

By the time the end credits started rolling, Kyle's head was resting on the back of the couch and he was snoring softly. The empty bowl of popcorn and water bottles sat on the floor between them. Turning off the television, Horatio yawned and stretched. The hour was late, and both men had to get up early for work the next morning.

Reaching down, Horatio picked up the empty containers and carried them into the kitchen. Setting the bowl and the bottles on the counter, he rolled his neck and allowed his mind to wander to what possibilities awaited him at the lab the next day: Specifically with Calleigh in the gun vault. Remembering their earlier tryst in his office, he shook his head. They had agreed to be more guarded at work, not wanting to give IAB any ammo against their professionalism and reputations. Making love on his desk was not really along the lines of being discrete.

But being with Calleigh had definitely made him more spontaneous. He would say that. And when he thought about it, it was a good thing. He was hopeful for the future: A future with her. They were still new to each other in this sense, but for Horatio, there would never be anyone else. Calleigh had his heart. He had willingly given it to her: Just as she had given him hers.

And that shared trust meant everything to him. It was a strong foundation; one they were beginning to build a life on.

Sighing, Horatio turned the light off in the kitchen and went to wake Kyle so the young man could get a good night's sleep in a proper bed. Reaching out, he rested his hand on Kyle's shoulder and gave him a light shake.

The movement did not wake him. Before Horatio could try again, however, his phone rang loudly from the side table. The continued ringing stirred Kyle, who opened his eyes and lifted his head.

"Is that mine or yours?" the young man asked groggily.

Frowning at the late hour and hoping that it wasn't work-related, Horatio walked over and picked up his cellular. However, when he saw the name on the display, he suddenly wished it had been a call-out.

"It's mine, son," he responded sadly. "I need to take this. Why don't you hit the sack?"

But Kyle was already shuffling off down the hall. "Night, Dad," he called out over his shoulder as he disappeared into his room."

Closing his eyes, Horatio pressed the TALK button and held the phone up to his ear.

"This is Horatio Caine," he said glumly. There was no reasonable explanation for it, but he knew in his heart that something very, very bad had happened.

"Mr. Caine, this is Doctor Ambrose," the familiar voice stated solemnly. "I'm sorry to call so late, but I'm afraid I have some difficult news."

Clutching the phone tightly in his hand, Horatio sat on the arm of the sofa and looked down. He knew the truth already in his heart.

"She's gone, isn't she?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, before the doctor finally responded.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Caine. Ms. Winston has passed."

Though the storm was raging harder outside, Horatio heard nothing other than the Glendale Springs' doctor's words.

"_Julia's dead, Julia's dead, Julia's dead,"_ repeated in his mind over and over.

He looked down the hall to Kyle's room as tears formed at the corners of his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it when the lump in his throat wouldn't allow the words to come. Finally, he was able to utter one, single word:

"How?"

"Somehow, Ms. Winston eluded bed check tonight," Ambrose explained gently. "She went to the roof of the main facility and … and she jumped. At the moment, I don't have the details of how she was able to get around security. Two nurses and a security guard who were coming onto their shifts saw her and tried to stop her, but she didn't respond to their attempts to calm her down. Once she jumped, there was nothing anyone could have done."

Horatio hung his head again. "I see."

"She left two notes," the doctor continued. "One for you and another for someone named Kyle. Unfortunately, I have to turn the case over to the sheriff's office up here. The medical examiner's office will transport Ms. Winston's body to Miami once you arrive. I can put you in touch with …"

"Thank you, Doctor," Horatio cut him off. "I'll take care of it. I'll be there first thing in the morning."

Glendale Springs was located in Lake Wales, roughly three hours north of Miami. He knew someone at the Polk County Sheriff's Office and would reach out to him. But first, he would have to figure out how to tell his son – his son who was happy and content with his life, his son who had finally and deservedly found some peace – that his mother was dead.

"Of course," Ambrose replied. "Again, I am truly sorry for your loss. I will speak to you in the morning. You have my cell if you need anything before then."

Silently, Horatio ended the call and set his phone down. The last time he had seen Julia was months ago. She had been in treatment for her mental illnesses for a little over a year, but she was not progressing. In fact, her mental state had been deteriorating and she had become despondent and unresponsive to treatment.

Right before Easter, she had tried to drown herself in her bathroom sink, but was revived by a staff counselor who had come to check on her. Ambrose had called Horatio, who went to the facility to discuss new treatment options. It was then that Ambrose recommended Julia be placed on suicide watch in a special part of the treatment center.

Before he left Glendale Springs, Horatio sat for hours at Julia's bedside, holding her hand, begging God to heal her mind so that it would no longer torture her. True, their past had been clouded and built upon deceit: When they met, he was undercover and never told her the truth about his real identity. She disappeared without ever telling him she was carrying his child. When she returned to his life, she put Kyle in danger by associating with scum like Ron Saris and by refusing to get help for her illnesses.

Still, Horatio cared about her. After all, Julia had given Horatio the greatest gift in the world: A child. For that, he would always be indebted to her. And while Kyle was angry with his mother, Horatio had hoped that his son would one day put his aside his fear and frustration with Julia and forgive her of those past mistakes.

His eyes again returned to the room down the hall where Kyle was presumably sleeping. His son had suffered so much in his life. Now, just when Kyle was on the track to normalcy, Horatio was going to have to break his son's heart. The unfair cruelty of everything that young man had had to endure filled him with an unspeakable fury. Tears streaming down his red face, his shoulders began to shake with sobs of rage. Standing from the couch, his clenched and unclenched his fists until his knuckles turned white as he sought something to take this ravenous anger out on.

With an inhuman roar of anguish, he grabbed the side of a nearby end table and sent it crashing across the floor, the glass top shattering into millions of tiny shards.

* * *

"Tell me you're joking."

Swirling a glass of red wine in her hand, Natalia smiled and laughed at her friend. A wide-eyed Calleigh was covering her mouth with one hand, a mixture of surprise and amusement clear on her face.

Frankie's was a relatively new, but small, jazz bar that Natalia had discovered a few months ago. The décor was '60s retro and the drink menu was more or less the same. While most of her friends had found the bar's theme cliché and overdone, Natalia nonetheless liked the place and was glad that Calleigh seemed to be enjoying herself as well.

Leaning forward in her chair, Natalia pointed subtly to the bass player on the stage near their table.

"I'm a professional at observation," she said, "and I'm telling you that THAT man has been watching you ever since we came in here. You have an admirer. And a hot one at that."

Taking a sip of her Diet Coke, Calleigh turned her head slightly toward the stage to see if Natalia was right. Because the room was so small, roughly the size of the lobby at CSI, she was still able to get a good look, despite the fact that their table was in the back row. The musician in question, a gorgeous, well-built Latin man with thick dark hair and big brown eyes, immediately caught her eye. He smiled broadly and nodded at her.

"Oh my," Calleigh said, clearly flattered.

"See, I told you," Natalia responded with mock arrogance as she sipped her shiraz. "I'll bet you even money that when they take a break, he comes over here."

Calleigh chuckled uncomfortably. "That would be unfortunate for him. Yes, he is cute, but I'm not interested."

Natalia frowned. "Granted we don't know anything about him yet, but why not give him a chance? I would."

Her friend smiled enigmatically. She and Horatio still hadn't told anyone at the lab about their relationship, and while they both agreed they weren't going to lie about it, they also agreed that their personal lives were nobody's business but their own.

And there was that "forbidden" element that Calleigh secretly enjoyed.

Still, it couldn't hurt to let her friend know that she had someone in her life, she just wouldn't say who it was.

"Well then you can have him," she told Natalia. "This girl is off the market."

Now it was Natalia's turn to be surprised. "You're seeing someone?"

Calleigh's only response was a nod and a sip of her drink. Laughing, Natalia shook her head. When she thought about it, Calleigh had been acting like her old self again. Her positive, friendly demeanor was noticeable and she seemed much happier than she had been in a very long time.

But Natalia never figured that it had anything to do with a relationship. Her keen sense of observation had failed her on that account.

"Is Eric back?" she asked bluntly, assuming their former colleague and – awkwardly enough – flame had returned from his sabbatical in Puerto Rico.

Her friend sighed, and for a few moments, they only thing the two women could hear was the sound of rich jazz music flowing around them. Finally, Calleigh elaborated for Natalia.

"Eric and I have been over for a long time," she said slowly. "I'll always love him like family, but after he left, I came to realize that we had been together for the wrong reasons. So, no, to my knowledge he isn't back in Miami, and even if he was, it wouldn't matter. I have moved on … with someone who makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. What I have now is real, and it's right."

Her mouth curved up in a slow smile as she spoke, and Natalia knew she was sincere. So naturally, it begged the question:

"So who is this mystery guy?"

At that, Calleigh giggled and leaned back in her seat. "I plead the fifth … for now."

Natalia was about to protest, but Calleigh stood up from the table.

"Goin' to the ladies' room," she said lightly with a wave, leaving her friend's peaked curiosity hanging at the table.

Weaving her way through the crowded bar, Calleigh was not surprised to find herself in a line for the restroom. She waited patiently for her turn as two young women in front of her, one brunette and one bleached blonde, chattered away.

"Get over it already," the blonde said, "he's not worth it."

"I know that," the brunette retorted. "But that doesn't make it any less embarrassing."

"You are not the first person to get stood up, it happens," her friend shot back as she fished with her cell phone out of her ridiculously small purse. "The best thing you can do is move on, have some drinks, have some fun and forget about the jerk."

Calleigh grinned inwardly. _"Been there, done that, sister."_

But the brunette was too far into her own pity party to be placated.

"Easy for you to say," she whined, annoyed that her blonde friend was now paying more attention to the text message she was typing on her phone than she was to her predicament. "You weren't the one who got ditched by a dickhead."

Calleigh bit her lip, trying to hold back a laugh at the young woman's remark. She considered chiming in, telling the distraught woman that she will find the right man eventually, but ultimately decided against it. After all, it was none of her business.

"_Ditched by a dickhead,"_ Calleigh smirked, as she thought about the woman's statement. She would have to tell Natalia about that one.

But as the line slowly moved forward, something uneasy began to tug at Calleigh's mind, as if she had forgotten something important. Frowning, she went over possible work-related scenarios in her mind, wondering if she hadn't done something she was supposed to, but nothing came to mind.

She considered calling Horatio, just to check in and make sure everything was okay. She reached for her phone, only to remember that it was in her purse back at the table with Natalia.

Standing there in the dark and noisy room, she did all she could to clear her mind and focus on the memory that was eluding her.

In her mind's eye, she could see Horatio's back to her …

"… _been ditched …"_

Shaking her head, Calleigh tried to focus harder, digging deep to pull out that which was so elusive. For some reason, she strongly felt it had something to do with Horatio. Frustrated, she concentrated on the clearing the fuzziness surrounding the memory.

_She was in her room, Horatio was walking away. She needed to tell him something … to stop him. He turns and faces her … "common" … common … something in common …_

"_Oh God."_

A powerful feeling of dread washed over her with the memory of that night. Placing her hand over her mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut and groaned loudly, the pieces of that horrific experience falling into place in her mind …

"… _been ditched …"_

"_We've both been ditched …"_

"… _ditched by a …"_

"Delko."

The name left her lips as a whisper, but inside she was screaming at the bitter cruelty of it. She was flooded with guilt and shame. Everything was spinning. The music, the crowd noise, everything fell away as the memory played again and again in her mind. She prayed she was wrong, that it was nothing but a bad dream, but she knew in her heart that it had been real. That it really had happened. It all made sense now …

"_Oh Horatio, I am so sorry,"_ she thought shaking her head.

"Are you okay? You look like you are going to be sick."

Calleigh opened her eyes to see the brunette now looking at her with concern. The blonde next to her glanced up from her phone for a second than looked back down, nonplussed.

Saying nothing, the bathroom all but forgotten, Calleigh turned on her heal and pushed her way back to the table where Natalia sat nursing her drink. Startled by the upset expression on her friend's face as well as her abrupt return, she sat her glass down and stood up.

"Cal? What is it?" Natalia asked as a clearly distraught Calleigh snatched up her purse. "Are you okay?"

Calleigh rubbed her forehead and reached into her purse for money to cover the tab. She had only had a couple of soft drinks, and Natalia had been nursing the same glass of wine for almost an hour, but she still took out a couple of twenty-dollar bills, then grabbed her cell phone out of her bag.

"I'm fine, Nat," she said hurriedly. "I've got kind of an emergency. Here's some cash, would you mind paying the bill for me? I need to go."

Natalia put her hands up to calm the other woman. "Whoa, slow down," she responded. "What kind of emergency? What happened? Can I help?"

Holding the money out in front of her, Calleigh refused to meet Natalia's eyes. The horrid memory of her words played on repeat in her mind. She had to talk to Horatio. A-S-A-P.

"I can't really talk about it, I'm sorry," she said, lightly shaking the money in her hand. "Please, Natalia. This is how you can help me."

"Well, let me at least drop you off somewhere," Natalia responded in concerned exasperation. "I drove, remember? It's pouring outside and your car is still back at the …"

But Calleigh was already moving away from the table toward the door.

"Thanks, but I'll get a cab!" she called out over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd.

Baffled, Natalia threw her hands up, grabbed her purse and started moving toward the bar to pay their bill.

Outside, Calleigh was immediately drenched in the rainfall. Unfazed by the cold, stinging water, she looked frantically up and down the streets for any sign of an available taxi. Traffic in the area was busy and several pedestrians frantically ran around her, trying to get out of the heavy wind and rain. Even in the worst weather, Miamians still wanted their nightlife.

At that moment, Calleigh could have cared less that is was raining. In fact, she could have been standing in a Category 4 hurricane and she wouldn't have noticed. There was one thing, and one thing only on her mind.

Hitting the "1" on her speed dial, she held her phone up to her ear and exhaled impatiently when his voicemail kicked on.

"This is Horatio Caine. Please leave a message."

"Damn it," she swore under her breath at the recording right before she heard the predictable "beep."

"Hi, it's me. I know it's late and I'm … I'm really sorry," she stammered, her throat clenching up at the idea that she had once hurt the man she loved. "I need to see you, tonight. I have to talk … to talk to you about something important and it can't wait. I'm on my way over now."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of a taxi's light bar coming her way. Holding her phone with one hand while she juggled her purse and tried to hail the vehicle with the other, Calleigh stepped off the curb into the street.

"I'll see you soon," she said into her phone. "I love -"

Her words were stopped short by harsh sound of squealing tires. Whipping around, she saw bright lights …

… and then darkness.

**-END-**

* * *

**That is it for this one. There will be a new story in this series posted after the beginning of the new year, but for now, I'm taking a break to relax and regroup - sorta.**

**In the meantime, I would love to know what everyone thought of this chapter and/or this story as a whole. Any questions? Comments? Concerns?**

**Much love to all my readers and reviewers. You guys are so many kinds of awesome, you don't even know. :)**

** I wish everyone the happiest of holidays and a great start to 2011!**


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